A Friend in Need
by hanbefanficin
Summary: First Grey's fic. Set post-Arizona departure. After her failed venture to New York, Arizona is back at Grey Sloan memorial hospital. During her first weeks back in Seattle, an unexpected attack leaves her vulnerable and an unlikely friendship begins to blossom.
1. Part 1

_Amelia_

Every night this happens. As soon as I walk out of those hospital doors, I want a drink. Or an E. Or some speed. Just anything that's going to bring back the buzz. So many people have questioned me about my decision to pursue medicine. If you work in a hospital, you're surrounded by drugs all the time. How is it possible to resist that temptation? Because being a surgeon preoccupies your mind in all manor of ways. I'm not thinking about where I'm going to get my next fix or what my drug of choice should be. I'm thinking about my patients. I'm thinking about new surgical approaches. I'm thinking about ground-breaking medicine. Yet, as soon as I leave work, the cravings start.

Despite thinking about mind-altering substances daily, the temptation is getting easier to deal with. As of today, I have been entirely sober for five whole years. No drink, no drugs.

Walking towards my car, I'm thinking about the different ways I could be celebrating this milestone when I hear a ruckus to the side of the hospital, the part that's just out of sight. There's a lot of scuffling, hushed low voices and some smashing of glass.

"What the hell..." I say to myself. Curiosity gets the better of me, I run towards the scene.

A man, easily over 6ft, has one of his arms wrapped around a tiny blonde woman who is putting up a good fight trying to release herself from his grasp. Her head is covered in blood. Suddenly, he brings his other hand up towards the woman's neck and he stabs her. Though I'm far away, I hear her gasp. Have I just witnessed a murder?

Against my better judgement, I run towards him screaming. "HEY... HEY!" He runs off and I'm left staring at a seemingly lifeless body. No... the seemingly lifeless Arizona Robbins.

"Oh, my God..." My eyes immediately fill with tears as they dart all over her body. I check her neck. There's no knife there but a needle. I fall to my knees and yank it from her neck, throwing it as far away from us as possible before checking her pulse. Still there. Hang in there, Robbins. My hands cup her cheeks as I check her heads wounds. Some deep cuts, but nothing that means she can't be moved.

"Arizona?! Arizona?! Can you hear me?" Her body stirs minimally. Her eyes flutter for only a few moments and she can't focus, but it's enough for me to notice her enlarged pupils before she is completely still once more.

Without debating my own strength, I put one of her bruised arms around my shoulders and, as quickly as I can, carry her towards the hospital doors. I burst through and start looking for doctors immediately.

"HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Within seconds, she is taken out of my arms and placed on a hospital bed.

I hear Mer's voice. She's asking me something but I can't answer. My mind is fixed on Arizona. I study her more carefully. Judging by the bruising and abrasions the attacker did not go easy on her.

"Amelia?"

"WHAT?" I snap.

"What the hell happened?"

"Uh... I... I don't know. She was at the side of the hospital... There was a guy, he stab... stabbed her with a needle."

I finally look at Mer and notice she's wearing emergency scrubs over her clothes. She must have been on her way out.

"What was in it?" She wastes no time in checking Arizona's more obvious injuries.

"I don't... I don't know. It could have been anything," I pause for a moment. "Maybe meth... it looked like it could have been meth."

There are already seven doctors surrounding her. I desperately want to help but my mind isn't in the right place. I can't risk causing her any damage. So I wait. She's hooked up to machines and IVs and nurses have taken some blood samples already. Regardless of all my years of medical training, I have no idea what's going on. I can't think straight.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and spin around to face Karev.

"Come on," he says calmly. "We'll go to the waiting room. We're just making the place look untidy, standing here twiddling our thumbs."

Begrudgingly, I agree to go with him. She's in safe hands, I know she is. I glance back as Karev leads me away. The doctors have worked quickly. I wouldn't trust any other medical team in the world with a situation like this. Thank God she's not in New York anymore.


	2. Part 2

_Amelia_

It's not long before I get a visit from the police. They ask me questions and I answer them as well as I can. I'm still in a complete daze. Has this actually just happened? As soon as they're finished, I make my way to the room Karev tells me Arizona is in. I know how she's going to feel when she wakes up and I want to be there to help her. The scene around her is much calmer than before. Meredith is sitting in a chair beside her bed, flicking through the papers, probably checking she hasn't missed anything. A heart monitor beats steadily to the side of Arizona. She's attached to one IV bag, just full of fluids to keep her hydrated.

"What did they find?" I ask Meredith keeping my face deadpan.

"You were right. It was meth... Mixed in with some other stuff."

"Other stuff?"

"Just an absolute cocktail of drugs. She'll be okay, it's just going to be really rough for a few days."

"And bloods?" She knows what I'm asking. Did the dirty needle give Arizona HIV?

"Don't worry, she's clear of all infection."

A sigh of relief runs through my entire body. The attack was brutal and disgusting, but it could have ended so much worse.

"Do you mind if I join you?" I ask her, quietly.

"Here, take my seat. I should have been gone two hours ago." She gathers a few things before she walks up to me and takes a proper look at my face. "Are you okay?" she asks, concern evident in her voice.

"Yeah... It... It just wasn't nice to see, y'know?" I start to tear up again, feeling completely overwhelmed that not only was my friend attacked, but she was attacked by someone who uses drugs as a weapon. How messed up is that?

"I know," Meredith says calmly as she squeezes my forearm comfortingly. "Call me if you need me. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Mer," I say as she leaves me with a sympathetic smile.

I turn my attention back to the woman lying helpless in the hospital bed. Why would anybody do this to someone who's dedicated their life to saving children? To a dedicated mother? To someone so sweet and caring? To a woman who's already suffered and lost so much? Why? Why would somebody hurt her like this? The world is so cruel, that doesn't change.

As I curl up in the chair next to her, I study her face properly. They did a good job with the stitches. Ten little lines from her hairline flowing diagonally past her left eyebrow. The other eight lined up as neatly as soldiers across her right cheek. Dark rings surround her eyes. It's swollen slightly, yet her face is still perfect. Still soft and gentle despite everything the world continues to put her through.

A wave of emotion washes over me and I reach out a hand to brush a few strands of hair out of her face. Tears sting my eyes as I notice the marks up and down her arms; bruises and fingernail marks caused by evil hands. She really did put up a good fight.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," I whisper. I furiously wipe away the tears that have escaped from my eyes.

She looks so delicate that I feel the need to take her hand in mine, as if to let her know there's someone here who wants to help.

...

Suddenly, I'm woken up by erratic breathing and whimpering. It makes my entire body jolt. It's Arizona. I must have fallen asleep, head on the bed, body still in the chair. It's light outside now. She's not fully awake yet, but already in big deal of pain.

"Shhh," I try to soothe her by grazing a thumb over the top of the hand I'm still holding.

Instantaneously, she's sat bolt upright, looking around the room terrified. I already know she doesn't have a clue what's going on.

"Arizona?" Her eyes meet mine.

"I-I-I... can't breathe," she says in between laboured breaths. Quickly, I retrieve an oxygen mask and fit it to her head. I support her back with one arm and gently stroke her bicep with my free hand.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," I try again. "Just take deep breaths."

I don't realise how close our faces are until I see the vulnerability in her eyes. She's staring at me, searching my face for answers without asking a single question. When I'm happy that her breathing has returned to a regular and sustainable rhythm, I remove the oxygen mask and guide her into drinking a glass of water. She drinks it so quickly she almost chokes.

"Steady, steady..." She nods and continues to drink every last drop carefully. I put the glass to one side and ease her back into the bed.

"You're okay, you're safe," I reassure her. "You were attacked, but you're safe now."

Her eyes begin to tear up before she speaks, "Amelia? What's happening to me?"

"Listen to me," I gently take both of her arms in my hands to gain her full attention. I speak to her slowly and gently. "You're going to be fine. You've been injected with some... stuff. But, you're okay. There's no infection. We need to check your organs in the next few days, but everything is presenting as normal right now. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" She nods and I feel her relax almost immediately. Though more relaxed now, the tears and noises of pain are still there.

"I-I don't feel good," the statement is child-like and makes my heart break. She allows a few tears to roll freely down her cheeks. I know that feeling - the comedown she's experiencing. It's confusing and depressing and physically painful. I would do anything to make it stop for her. But, I can't. It's a waiting game. I make the decision to lie next to her so we are side-by-side. I wrap an arm around her shoulders and reposition our bodies so her head can rest comfortably next to my collar bone. I hold her close to try and subside any tremors she may be experiencing from the drugs. This calms her considerably. We stay like this for a few minutes until I feel as though I have to break the silence.

"I really wish I didn't have to tell you this... But I want you to be prepared," I sigh. "The next few days are going to be absolute Hell."


	3. Part 3

_Amelia_

"AND, WHY THE HELL DID NO ONE TELL ME?" I know that angry voice. It's Torres. "SHE IS THE MOTHER OF MY CHILD, KAREV. YOU DON'T THINK I DESERVE TO KNOW?"

I look down at my shoulder to see Arizona resting. She's not asleep but I don't think she's fully conscious either. I move myself from under her and make sure she's comfortable before heading out of the room.

"I'll be back soon," I say with a smile, just in case a part of her is lucid. I shut the door behind me to block out any noise from the argument being had by Torres and Karev. I hastily make my way to the other side of the corridor towards the shouting doctor.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER IF I'M NOT DOWN AS HER NEXT OF KIN, HER DAUGHTER NEEDS TO KNOW WHY HER MOMMY IS IN A HOSPITAL BED."

"What's going on?" I ask, carefully. "Callie, I know you've been gone for a while but, if you remember correctly, this isn't the kind of hospital where we scream at each other in the hallways. We have patients in pretty much every room on this floor. Dial it down a little." The abrupt approach seems to work. She's calm but still visibly hurt.

"Have you seen her? Is she ok?" she asks, tearfully.

"She's doing well, considering what she's been through," I say truthfully.

"Where is she?" she asks. I pause, not knowing if it's a wise decision to tell her whilst they're both in these states. "Tell me... Or I will search every damn room in this hospital," she says through gritted teeth. And, I know she means it.

"Room 224," I sigh. She sweeps past me, but I grab her arm before she can get to Arizona. "Callie, she's in a bad way. You need to be completely calm before you enter that room." Callie nods and takes a few deep breaths before opening the door. I hover behind, not wanting to impose but also not wanting to be too far from Arizona. I watch through the window. Arizona's eyes are closed now and Callie has taken the seat I'd occupied the night before. She takes a small hand in both of hers and kisses it twice. She then strokes her hair, her cheek, her arm. It's as though she's willing the cuts and bruises and abrasions to go away. She's breaking down. Her body racks with sobs.

My heart jumps into my stomach as Arizona opens her eyes. I wonder how this is going to go down... She stares at Callie, confused. She's frowning a little. I step into the doorway in case things start to go south.

"You're awake," Callie states with a smile, wiping away the tears and calming herself quickly. "How are you feeling?" Arizona is still frowning. She's processing what's going on. I've seen that look many times before. I've worn that look many times before.

"What are you doing here?" she asks bluntly. "You don't need to be here."

"Arizona..."

"No, Callie. You don't need to be here," she's starting to get upset. I knew this wasn't a good idea. "In fact, you are the last person I need to see right now. I don't want you here. YOU DON'T NEED TO BE HERE. GO, GET OUT."

Callie stands to exit, heartbreak evident across her face. As she walks past me, she pleas in a low voice, "Keep me updated... please. She doesn't have to know..." I feel sorry for Callie. I nod in agreement before gesturing to Arizona.

"It's not you, y'know. It's the comedown." I say, trying to offer some reassurance. "Trust me, I know." Callie offers a weak smile and lets the tears slide down her face on her way out. I walk towards Arizona, and sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry, she insisted," I say, quickly.

"I don't want to be here any more," she cries. "I want to go home." She's begging with me. She takes my hand and looks directly at me. "Please, please, I don't want to be here any more... I can't..." I mean it makes sense. This is where she was attacked. And, being in a hospital bed during a comedown is the absolute worst. I bring her into a gentle embrace and rub a hand up and down her back.

"We have to wait an hour for Meredith to come back to work," I explain. "She can discharge you and then I'll take you back home, ok?" She nods before her face turns pale.

"I think I'm going to be sick..." Like lightening, I grab a sick bag and put it into her hands. I guide it towards her mouth so she can get as much vomit in the bag as possible. When she's finished, she hands me the bag and slumps back into the bed.

...

"She has to go home, Mer," I state matter-of-factly. "Being here is doing her more harm than good!" We walk down the corridor together towards Arizona's room.

"Not until we've checked what's going on inside," she argues back. "The results from the toxicology screening were bad, Amelia. There was all sorts in that needle. Her heart rate seems to have gone back to normal but we need to do a head CT before she goes anywhere."

"Are you doing that now?"

"Yes, it should only take about 30 minutes but we need to figure some other stuff out, too. Like, who's going to look after her? She can't stand the sight of Callie, Karev is right across town, I've got the kids. We might have to keep her here until her parents get into town."

"No, I'll look after her," I cut in quickly.

"Well, you have kids, too." She reminds me.

"Owen can have Betty and Leo at his for the next few days. He'll probably enjoy that." I'm confident in my statement. Since we broke up and started living in different houses, we get along so much better. Meredith raises her eyebrow.

"What's going on with you?" she asks, sceptically. "I get that she's your friend and everything, you just... seem to be going above and beyond to help her."

"Well... I wish someone had done the same for me," I confess. "I wouldn't want anyone to go through this alone, let alone someone like Arizona."

"Someone like Arizona?" There's a hint of a smile on her lips. What is she getting at?

"Yeah... y'know... okay, I'm not getting into this right now." I stop before I start to sound too soppy. "Let's get this CT done."


	4. Part 4

_Meredith_

Amelia is anxious. She's pacing as I'm finishing up with the CT scan. She's desperate to get Arizona out of here. Desperate to help her recover in a way that she knows works. Fortunately, it's good news from the CT scan. I perch on the edge of her bed to talk to her properly.

"Arizona, I'm going to discharge you," I begin. "The CT scan came back clear... Now, we've just got to work on getting all that crap out of your system. I want you to drink a lot of water. Amelia is going to be with you for the next few days, even to the point where you'll probably get sick of the sight of her."

"Hey!" Amelia interjects.

"I've left her with a list of suitable foods and liquids to flush all the drugs through. So, lots of fluids, lots of 'doing as you're told', got it? Or, we'll be hauling you back in." She offers me a weak smile and a nod in response. I'm not going to push for words, she looks exhausted. I look at her seriously for a moment, making sure she knows that the next lot of news I have to deliver is sensitive. "If you need to get around, I want you to use a wheelchair for the next few days. Using up all your strength trying to walk won't do you any good." She's silent and her eyes dart around the room, searching for any space that isn't occupied by myself or Amelia. I place my hand on top of hers. "Only for a few days, not forever," I say gently. She nods, still looking down.

 _Arizona_

I hear the word "wheelchair" leave Meredith's mouth and I'm immediately transported back to the first few days when I lost my leg. I didn't ever want to use one again. I'd never been more depressed. Knowing that it's only temporary softens the blow.

Meredith pats me on the thigh before she gets up. "I want you to come in next week for a check up. If you need me in the mean time, call me. Anytime. Do you understand?" I give her the biggest smile I can muster. "I'll be coming to check on you at home in the next few days, ok?"

"Thank you, Meredith," I manage to croak out.

Meredith smiles at me and exits the room, squeezing Amelia's arm on the way out. The woman has barely left my side in the past 12 hours. She walks over to the bed.

"You ready?" her voice is incredibly gentle. It's like she knows exactly what I need right down to the details. How she talks to me, the words she uses to calm me down, the way she gives me physical contact... all of it is exactly how I need it.

"Really ready," I say as enthusiastically as I can. She smiles at me and wheels the chair into the room. Her eyes change as she looks at me.

"Just temporary, remember?" My face must have changed because she's concerned about my emotions surrounding the wheelchair. I swallow the lump in my throat and nod. I can't manage a smile this time. She helps me stand from the bed. Without the covers over me, I'm suddenly very aware that I don't have my prosthetic leg on. I can't look her in the eye. And, she doesn't force me to. We shuffle over to the chair that's a few steps away and she lowers me down into it. This alone is tiring for me.

"Amelia," I speak quietly, a little ashamed of my current condition. "I...I don't... " As I stumble with my words she crouches down opposite me. She doesn't rush me, she just watches attentively, waiting for my words to come to me. "I don't want to be a burden," I blurt out all in one go. I mean it. I don't want Amelia to stop her whole life for me, even if it is only for a few days. My eyes search the floor, hoping it might swallow me up.

"Hey," her voice is barely above a whisper. "Look at me," I do as I'm told. "You, Arizona Robbins, are anything but a burden. You're a damn strong woman. You are a fixer of tiny humans and World's Best Mom all rolled into one. You are kind and smart and one of the bravest people I have ever met. Helping you whilst you're sick is not a burden, do you hear me?" She waits for a nod before pressing her lips to my forehead. This simple gesture gives me life. It takes away some of the pain and helps me feel somewhat stronger.

As she wheels me towards the lift, we're stopped by several different people: Richard, Jackson, Miranda, Owen, Maggie, Jo... I can't really tune in to anything they're saying. As we exit the lift on the ground floor, we bump into Alex.

"Are you kidding me? Where the hell do you think you're going?" he says angrily. I know it's out of concern, but I'm not exactly in the mood to do any explaining.

"Home, Alex," I say in a warning tone.

"My ass you're going home," he goes to take the wheelchair from Amelia before I clutch at his arm.

"Alex, please," the tears are coming again. "I am exhausted. I know I haven't been in long, but I can't stay. I can't... I was attacked... here. I can't recover here, too." He stands uneasily, rubbing his mouth whilst he thinks.

"You're going to be there the whole time?" He directs the question towards Amelia.

"Won't let her out of my sight," Amelia confirms.

"You're damn right you won't," he says. It's not threatening, just full of worry. "First sign of any trauma, bleeding, sneezing... anything, she needs to come back." It's not a request, it's a statement.

"Of course," Amelia wheels me towards the doors. The same ones I exited 12 hours earlier right before I was grabbed. My breathing quickens. It's light outside this time but I'm still terrified about what's on the other side. I must be louder than I thought. I can feel Amelia's hand on my shoulder. "It's okay," she says, kindly. I still grimace as the automatic doors open. "See? You're okay," I need this. I need the constant reassurance she's offering. She's being so good to me.

We finally get to the car, and I can't wait to get inside. I feel better with Amelia watching out for me, but still not completely safe outside. She helps me quickly manoeuvre from the wheelchair to the car seat before folding up the wheelchair and putting in the trunk. It's a good job she drives a massive 4x4. She slides into the driver's side, looking at me carefully. I feel my eyelids become heavy as I relax into the leather seat.

"Arizona?" Her voice startles me and I sit up straight.

 _Amelia_

She's so weak and drained that I can't help but wonder if I'm doing the right thing taking her away from the hospital. "Are you sure?" She looks at me with big doe eyes.

"Please."


	5. Part 5

_Amelia_  
As I push a very sleepy Arizona through the door, my eyes widen in surprise. Her place is stunning; almost minimalist but with a few Robbins quirks thrown in... The neutral walls of the house make its contents seem more exciting somehow. "This place is gorgeous! I can't believe I haven't seen it yet," I say more to myself than Arizona.

We go further into the house and I notice the pictures she has lined up perfectly in black frames. Some are on the walls and others are scattered across various surfaces. Most of the pictures tell the story of Sofia's life. There are pictures of her as a really tiny baby all the way up to age 7. Other pictures are occupied by her parents, various Hopkins buddies, and many people from Grey Sloan.

I take notice of three pictures in particular. The first, a picture of her and Derek. They're outside somewhere, sat next to each other on camping chairs. Arizona has a brown beer bottle in her hand, Derek a green one. They are both laughing uncontrollably. He's grabbing Arizona's knee and gesturing to something out of shot with his bottle. I've never seen that picture before. I am filled with utter happiness and total sadness all at once. It's a beautiful photograph.

The second is a picture of Alex and Arizona at some sort of formal occasion. Alex is dressed in a smart grey suit with blue accents, and Arizona... She's wearing this incredible smile, showing off her cute dimples, and I see a kind of light in her eyes that I wouldn't be able to describe to anyone. Her hair is pinned back loosely, allowing some strands to flow down naturally and it just looks perfect. She looks perfect.

The final picture is of Arizona and her brother Tim in military uniform. It looks as though it could be his graduation. Tim has his arm around his sister and is smiling at the camera. Arizona is smiling too, but she's looking up to her much taller brother with pride spread across her face.

I stop looking at the pictures only to start looking at Arizona. The spark I see in the pictures is missing from her eyes. Her once perfect skin is almost grey, and that smile... the perfect smile, has been replaced by a look of pure bewilderment.

"Oh, shit," I say, looking at the stairs, then back to the wheelchair. "How's this going to work?"

I already know what she's about to say... "I can walk-"

"Not a chance," I cut her off immediately. "You heard what Mer said. Absolutely no walking for the first few days." Is she pouting? "And, lots of 'doing as you're told'," I remind her quickly. Now, she's rolling her eyes at me.

"I'm tired, I just want to be in my own bed!" There they are again. The doe eyes. How can anyone say no to that?

"Right..." I help her up out of the chair into a standing position. This alone seems to tire her, so I'm not exactly sure how this is going to go. I wrap one of her arms around my shoulders and use one of my arms to hold her waist, steadying her. I take as much of her weight as I can, which isn't hard because she's pretty light. "We're just going to take it one step at a time, okay?" Her eyes are practically closed, but she nods anyway. "Okay, let's go," and we begin our ascent. About halfway up the stairs, I feel her grip tighten on me. "I've got you... We've got this," I reassure her.

We eventually reach the top of the stairs and I can tell she has no strength left in her at all. I sit her down on the top step and I take my position next to her, arm still around her waist. Her head drops to my shoulder as she catches her breath. I use my free hand to brush her hair behind her shoulder and away from her face.

 _Arizona_  
That was like climbing Everest. No... that was like climbing Everest with one leg. Even with all the help Amelia gave me. I am so incredibly lucky to have her here. I have no idea what I'd do without her. I can hear her talking, but I am too tired to even begin to try and understand what she's saying to me. There's some movement and suddenly she's cradling me. I really want to, but I don't have the energy to argue with this. I wrap my arms around her neck to make it a little easier for her to carry me. Soon, I'm placed onto what is unmistakably my mattress. My head is snuggled into the softest duck feather pillows. I feel Amelia bring the soft cotton sheets over me and I feel a little safer.

 _Amelia_  
And, just like that, she's asleep. I watch her for a few seconds, just to make sure her breathing is regular. I sit on the other side of the double bed and reach for the remote, pointing it towards the wall-mounted TV opposite. I need something to keep me awake. I didn't sleep properly at all last night but I need to be up in case something happens to Arizona.

"A violent attack at Grey Sloan memorial hospital has left a paediatric surgeon critically injured..." Urgh, how is this on the news already?! I turn the volume right down so I don't have to listen to the rest of the news report, but keep the TV on to make sure they don't identify Arizona. Her picture doesn't come up, but the drawing created by the police sketch artist I spoke to last night does. I gave them as much detail as I could, but it was impossible to spot certain features in the dark. I believe my exact words were, "6ft something, Caucasian male, dark features". They asked me a few questions about his eye and nose shape, and that was it. He could look completely different. No one's going to be able to identify him from that. I turn the TV off and decide the best thing I can do right now is get things ready for when Arizona wakes up.

I make my way down the stairs and into her kitchen to gather supplies. First things first, water; she'll need a huge glass of it, filled with ice. And, a bucket for puking. Luckily, I find one in the cupboard under the sink. I also grab a couple of bananas from the fruit bowl. Sounds weird, but they are definitely the best comedown food. Back in the bedroom, I search her wardrobe for pyjamas that will keep her cool. Shorts and vest top will do.

I'm checking the resources I've gathered when my phone starts to vibrate. I look at the screen and see 'Karev' flash up. I know he'll be worried; he sees Arizona as his sister.

"Hello?"

"Hi Amelia, how is she?" he asks, trying to keep his cool.

"She's just fallen asleep," I say quietly, walking towards the bed and crouching down to look at her face. I feel her forehead and check her breathing again. "She's kinda warm, but she looks relaxed. I gotta tell you Alex, she is _not_ going to feel good when she wakes up."

"Okay..." He trails off and then there's a pause. "Amelia, listen. I've been around to the side of the hospital to see if there's anything we're missing. Anything that can help the police find that bastard. Her car window has been smashed. I'm assuming that's where the cuts on her head came from. But, everything's still there. Her purse, her phone, her tablet, everything."

"So, he wasn't mugging her?" The police had immediately put it down to this guy being some petty thief. This didn't sit well with me at the time, but I didn't push, I just left them to do their job.

"No..." Alex says stonily. "Which makes me think: What the fuck did he want with a drugged up Arizona?"


	6. Part 6

_Arizona_

After a 16-hour shift, I am more than ready to crash out in my bed. I walk quickly towards my car, rifling through the junk in my handbag in hope of finding the car keys. A-ha! Got them. I unlock the car and put all my stuff in the passenger seat, feeling relieved to have unloaded the extra weight.

The second I close the door, I feel a huge hand surround my mouth. Just as quickly, an arm is wrapped around my torso and binds me against my will. What the hell is going on? I feel my breathing quicken as I start to panic. Someone I don't know has hold of me and I can't move.

"I've been watching you..." a voice says quietly. It's male, deep and sends shivers down my spine. "The way you... present yourself, the way you talk, the way you move... it fascinates me. You're quite stunning... a temptress, one might say..." He tightens his grip on the bottom half of my face and I unwillingly let out a muffled whimper. "We're going to have some fun," the voice continues. I feel sick to my stomach. I need to get away. With all my might, I elbow him in the stomach and he lets go enough for me to turn around and kick him in the crotch. Putting all my weight onto my prosthetic leg was not a good idea. I fall to the floor and look up at my attacker in the dark. I recognise him but I don't know where from. He's quick to respond, picking me up by the hair at the nape of my neck and throwing me into my car window. My head floats for a few seconds. I feel warm liquid trickle down from my cheek and forehead. He grabs me again, in the same way as before. I summon all my strength to try and struggle out of his grasp, but to no avail. "Goodnight, Princess..." he says before I feel a sharp prick pierce the skin by my collar bone. I gasp for air as I feel an unwelcome substance invade my body.

"HEY... HEY!" It's a distant female voice this time. I'm dropped to the floor and stay flat on my back. I'm in total darkness. My head is woozy and I can't open my eyes. I almost slip away completely, until something brings me back.

"Arizona?! Arizona?! Can you hear me?" My face is this time surrounded by gentle, caring hands. I try to open my eyes to look at my rescuer but I can't...

 _Amelia_

It's the middle of the night, and I'm awoken by an outlandish cry. I move my body to face the source; it's Arizona, writhing around in pain. I think she's still half-asleep. Before I even realise what I'm doing, I pull her towards me and hold her close. Her skin is hot to touch and she is sweating profusely. I plump some pillows up and move her so she's in a half-sitting up position. I run to the bathroom, and drench a face cloth with cold water. I rush back in and drape it across her forehead. I open the French doors that look out onto the back yard to let in as much air as possible. All of a sudden, her eyes are open. She looks completely lost. Her breathing is too quick.

"Hey," I say it gently, but she is still startled. I sit on the edge of the bed and take her hand. I watch as the scared glint in her eye turn to one of realisation. "It was just a dream," I whisper. I take the cloth from off her forehead and wipe it carefully down each cheek before placing it on the bedside table.

"The attack... I dreamt about the attack!" Her breathing is still quick and her eyes are streaming. "I remembered stuff I'd forgotten," she says breathlessly. "He's been following me!"

"Shh, you're safe now," I keep her hand in mine and repeat myself. "You're safe now." I stall as I think about what she's just said. He's been following her? Like a stalker?

"Did they get him?" She asks, weakly. "Please tell me they got him," she begs. The look of pure desperation on her face almost makes me say "yes", but I can't lie to her.

"You don't have to worry about that right now," I say as calmly as I can, choosing to avoid a direct answer. "You need to focus on getting better."

"They didn't, did they?" I grit my teeth and close my eyes not wanting to tell her. I shake my head slightly and I hear her erratic breathing turn into uncontrollable sobs. Between the side effects from the drugs and the emotional torment, she is a broken woman. I wrap my arms around her, and I feel her return the embrace, arms tightly around my neck. I let her cry; I don't want her to, but I let her. Her body continues to jolt violently. She breaks the embrace and throws her body over the side of the bed. She expels the contents of her stomach, luckily into the bucket I'd placed there earlier. I think she's having a panic attack. I help her sit up again. I put one hand on her shoulder and one hand on her knee. Her breathing won't return to normal.

"Tell me what you need," I look into her eyes, trying to reassure her that I will do whatever I can to ease this.

"I-I don't know..." she blurts out. Her sobs are still loud and unruly. My eyes scan the room for ideas. I spot the iPod docking station. I move towards it and rapidly scroll artists, searching for something calming. Bon Iver - perfect. The most mellow band around. I press play and soothing tones start to play through the speaker.

 _Up with your turret_  
 _Aren't we just terrified?_  
 _Shale, screen your worry_  
 _from what you won't ever find_

Rushing back towards the bed, I pick up the cold water I'd prepared earlier and help her sip it slowly. This reminds me that I also laid out more comfortable clothes for when she woke up. I practically tear her shirt off, hoping that the lack of any restricting material will make it easier for her to catch her breath. As I help her put the vest top on, I notice several bruises up and down her body. I swallow the lump that's formed in my throat and look back to her eyes.

I don't know if it's the music or the water or the change of clothing, but something is helping her. Eyes still wide, her breathing is settling. But, she's not going to sleep despite her exhaustion. Once I'm convinced she's composed enough, I crawl into bed next to her. I move our bodies so that we are both lying down. I spoon myself around her and use one of my hands to stroke her hair. I use my other hand to graze her arm with my fingertips.

We are silent. For a long time, we just stay like this. The sky starts to turn lighter before either one of us says anything.

"Amelia?" She whispers.

"I'm here," I confirm. "Are you okay?"

"The attacker... He-he said some things..." The next sentence she utters knots my stomach in a way I didn't think was possible. "I think he was trying to rape me."


	7. Part 7

_Arizona_  
Poor Amelia has had to change the sick bucket so many times that I've decided it'd just be easier for me to sit next to the toilet. She doesn't leave me here, though. She brings me a fresh glass of cool water every time I vomit, trying to keep me hydrated.

"Hey," she hands me another glass of water. "You wanna try getting back into bed?" I nod my head. Still missing my prosthetic, she helps me hop across the hall and back onto my comfortable mattress.

"You changed the sheets?" I ask, surprised.

"Yeah, nothing better than fresh sheets, right?" She says, showing me the most gorgeous smile. I smile in return. She's so sweet.

"Thank you," I say, gratefully.

"You look better today," she says kindly. "You know, apart from all the throwing up." I can't help but laugh a little at this. I need a little lightheartedness right now.

"You don't think I look good throwing up?" I ask, playfully.

"I think you always look good..."

 _Amelia_  
Woah, Amy... Where the fuck did that come from? I'm saved by the doorbell harshly ringing through the house.

"I'll get it!" I say probably a little too loudly and a little too quickly. I pretty much gallop down the stairs and open the door. Standing in front of me is Callie and Sofia.

"Hi," Callie says, quietly. "Can... Can we see her? Please?" She asks, earnestly. I look at Callie and my thoughts stumble as I wonder what to say or do. Then I look at the little girl who's clutching a homemade card and a bunch of garden-picked flowers.

"Uh... sure. Come in," I say, steadily opening the door. "Hey, what've you got there?" I ask Sofia with a smile as I crouch down to her level. She happily shows me the card she's drawn.

"It's a card to help my mom smile," she says so innocently. "This is her in bed, and I've drawn these flowers in a vase next to her bed." She pauses for a moment before she continues to explain, pointing to another part of the card. "This person is you looking after her. I also wrote a thank you message for you in here." What a sweet child! I can't help but beam at her.

"Your drawings are beautiful," I say, truthfully. They are very advanced for a 7-year-old. "Your mom's going to love the card. Come on." Without hesitation, Sofia takes my hand and almost drags me up the stairs, card and flowers still clutched in one hand. Callie seems to awkwardly stand in the hallway. I motion for her to come up, too. She follows but stops when we get to the bedroom door.

"I'll wait here," she says quietly. "Just for now."

I give her a sympathetic smile and nod. I open the door and reveal Arizona sitting up in bed, making her way through one of the bananas I'd brought up yesterday.

"Hi, Mommy!" Sofia says excitedly, letting go of my hand and walking carefully to Arizona's bed. Arizona's face could light up the darkest of rooms in this moment right now. She is smiling from ear to ear, and the spark that was missing from her eyes is returning. She immediately looks healthier and stronger.

"Hi, Little Miss!" She stays in bed but manages to scoop the little girl up into her arms. She lets the little girl snuggle into her shoulder and kisses her forehead. "I missed you so much, my darling girl!"

"I missed you, too, mommy!" She gasps as she remembers something. "I made you this card!" she exclaims. "And, I got you these!" She says shoving the flowers in Arizona's face.

"I'll get a vase for these," I say, smiling and taking the flowers from Sofia. Arizona smiles as she looks at the pictures.

 _Arizona_  
"Look at these amazing pictures... I can't believe an 7-year-old has drawn these..." I praise Sofia. She's such a thoughtful little girl. I open up the card and can't help but beam with pride; not only at the fact she's been working on her letter formation but also at the sweet messages. The one on the right-hand side reads:

 _Dearest Mommy,_  
 _I hope you get better really soon because I miss playing and reading with you. I can't wait to give you a big hug and I hope it makes you feel really really REALLY better. I love you so so so so so much._  
 _Love, Sofia x x x_

It makes my heart ache. I can't wait to spend some good quality time with her when I'm better. I give her an extra tight hug.

"I love you so much, little one," I say, quietly. Tears sting my eyes, but I fight them off. I don't want her to see me upset.

"I wrote one for Amelia, too," she says, pointing out a message on the left-hand side.

 _Dear Amelia,_  
 _Thank you for taking care of my mom. She's very special to me._  
 _When Mommy is better, you can come to the park with us to play._  
 _Love, Sofia x x x_

She is such a sweetheart. The thought of the three of us at the park together fills me with warmth and happiness. Why? I have no idea. But, it's such a nice vision that I've decided it's the first thing I want us to do when I'm able to move about.

 _Amelia_  
When I come back into the room, I bring Callie with me. We've been downstairs, making small talk over coffee. As we enter, we see that Arizona and Sofia are busy making animal shadows with their hands against the wall. Sofia is hysterically laughing at the voice Arizona is giving to the shadow swan. It's such a beautiful sight. I turn and smile at Callie who just seems to look sad still.

"Sofia, guess what?!" I say with enthusiasm.

"What?" She asks with a smile.

"Your mom has..." I pretend to look around to see who's listening, as though I'm about to reveal a huge secret. "A treat drawer in the kitchen," I whisper. "I think we should go and see what's in it!"

Sofia giggles and takes my hand again. I lead her out, giving Arizona and Callie a chance to talk privately.

 _Arizona_  
Callie is standing nervously in my room, shuffling her feet about and staring at the floor. She's probably worried I'm about to start yelling again.

"Arizona, I..." she begins to talk, but trails off. She doesn't want to say anything that's going to upset me.

"Callie, I'm sorry," I apologise. She finally looks up at me, surprised. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that in the hospital. I... I wasn't well."

"I know," she says, finally stepping closer. She sits at the edge of the bed and looks at me for a few moments before continuing. "It just... It hurt a lot. I know we didn't work; not here, not in New York, not anywhere. I know I put you through hell and used up all of your grace. But, to feel like you actually hated me? It broke me, Arizona." She says, tearing up. She blinks before looking me dead in the eye, and saying: "I don't think I'm ever going to stop loving you."

The words make me feel like I want to throw up again. Of course I love her too, but only in a 'mother-of-my-child' kind of way. I have no romantic feelings for her anymore. I know I never will. But, she's holding on to some glimmer of hope that we'll get back together and everything will be fine and dandy. I feel sorry for her.

"Callie..." I sigh before I proceed. "This doesn't work. We don't work. We've been here so many times, and it's not worth going through it again. Not for us and not for our confused little daughter."

She nods in half-agreement, before standing up and walking towards the door. She can't look at me, but she stops before she exits.

"I'm really glad you're getting better," she says sincerely. "You know where I am if you need anything."

"Thank you, Callie," I say, and she leaves.

It's not long before Sofia comes bounding back into the room with Amelia who's helping her carry a vase full of the flowers she'd picked.

"Mom, I'm going now," she says in a matter-of-fact manner. "But, mama says I can come and visit you whenever I like, okay?" I can't help but smile at the way she's speaking. I love it when she talks like a grown-up.

"Okay, Little Goose," I wrap her up in the tightest hug I can muster and cover her little face in kisses. "I'll see you soon," I smile.

"Bye, mommy!" And she skips out of the room towards Callie. I wave at my ex-wife and offer her a little smile. She smiles back and leaves with our daughter.

Amelia throws herself on the bed next to me, limbs everywhere.

"Are you okay?" I ask concerned. She turns her head to look at me.

"She is just the cutest little girl in the world," she starts. "But, my God, she has a lot of energy!" I smile at Amelia and show her the card.

"Have you seen this?" She takes the card from my hand and reads both messages. She's smiling blissfully at my daughter's cuteness. She wears the same smile as she talks to me.

"The park, huh?"

"Will you come with us? When I'm better?" I ask hopefully.

"Of course I will!"


	8. Part 8

_Amelia_

Begrudgingly, I'm back in work, cell phone glued to my hand in case Arizona needs me. I've left Karev with her today. I know he'll give her the right level of care. He knows a thing or two about comedowns from having to look after his mother for years.

It's been five days since the attack now and already the leg is back on and she's started to make her way around the house. She's getting stronger each day and managing to keep down more food. I've been preparing light meals and snacks for her which I've left with Alex today. She's totally adamant that she will be back to normal and back to work sooner rather than later. There's no way that Chief Karev is going to let her push herself like that.

It's going to be my first night back in my own home. The only thing that's keeping me running straight back to Arizona's is knowing that I get to spend some time with Leo and Betty. I also know that Alex and Jo are spending the night in one of her spare rooms in case she needs anything.

Sofia has visited Arizona every day after school. It's amazing to watch the bond between them. Yesterday, Arizona was determined to play outside with her. She managed the stairs and getting outside, but wasn't quite up to running around after the energetic 7-year-old. Instead, she watched and laughed as Sofia ran me ragged instead! I really like that kid. She's smart and sweet and full of fun. Just like her mommy.

I find myself thinking about Arizona like that a lot lately. Even when I should be focused on something completely different. Like, right now. I should be thinking about a consult with a new patient, but I can't help but wonder how she is. Is Alex making her laugh? I want her to laugh as much as possible. I want her to laugh the laugh that brings the sparkle back into her eyes and makes the world a better place. I'm thinking about that beautiful sight so much that by the time I arrive at the room I'm going to, I've completely forgotten who the consult is for.

...

 _Arizona_  
Alex has been over-the-top attentive all day. And, it makes me love him even more. My little brother, watching out for me.

"You had enough to eat?" he asks casually. I know inside he's worried about how well he's looking after me. It's about the 50th question he's asked me to make sure I'm alright.

"Alex," I say firmly with a hint of playfulness. "I am absolutely fine! Please stop worrying. Come and sit down. Let's watch a film."

He plonks himself next to me on the sofa. As I flick through the movie channels, looking for something superhero-y, I can feel him shift uncomfortably. He's either about to fart or talk about his feelings. Fortunately for me, it's the latter.

"You know... when I heard what happened to you..." he pauses. I can tell he's thinking carefully about what he's saying. "I wanted to kill him. Like, actually kill him. And, I feel like I still could. I'm kinda worried that the police won't find him before I do because if they don't... I'm gonna be going to jail." He's trying to make it sound like a joke, but knowing Alex, I'd say that's actually a pretty real threat. He's extremely protective over the ones he loves.

"You don't want to waste your life over someone like that," I say, calmly. "Promise me you won't." I look at him stoically and he avoids eye contact with me. He nods but I can tell it's halfhearted. "Alex, I'm serious! If by some crazy coincidence you manage to bump into this guy, I need you to keep your cool." I grab his hand to try and get his attention and he finally looks at me. "I've already lost one brother. I can't lose another."

...

A few hours later, Jo has joined us for a movie marathon. She's taken over the movie selection process and now, instead of watching _The Avengers_ , we're watching _Bridesmaids_. I love it, but I'm not sure Alex is too keen. He watches with us anyway as we laugh together and reminisce about their own wedding.

It's late when my phone starts to buzz. I see Amelia's name and my heart jumps into my mouth. It's been great having Alex here, but I've definitely missed Amelia today. I excuse myself and walk into the kitchen where I'm out of earshot before answering the phone.

"Hey Amelia," I say, taking a seat on one of the kitchen stools. "How was your first day back?"

"Oh, y'know - same old, same old," she says, brushing the question off a little. "How are you today? Have you rested? Have you eaten? Have you been nauseous at all?"

"Do you want me to answer all of those at once, or...?" I say, playfully. I hear a short laugh at the other end of the phone and she replies.

"I guess not. Just the 'how are you?' one," I can almost feel her smile. The one she uses when she wants to comfort someone.

"I'm fine, Amelia," I say, gently. "I'm going to try and come back to work in the next few days."

"You think that's a good idea?" She asks, concern evident in her voice.

"The sooner the better," I say with a sigh. These walls are driving me crazy. "I just need to run it by our chief first!"

"I'm not convinced Alex is going to let you come back so soon..." She trails off. I know she's right and I need to change the subject because the thought of being stuck in the house any longer is so disheartening.

"How are the kids?" I ask, quickly.

"They're fine. Betty got her one-year sober badge this evening." I can hear the pride in her voice and it makes me smile. "We went out for food afterwards to celebrate."

"That's incredible," I say, sincerely. "She's done so well. And, you... you've just been amazing for her, Amelia."

"Ah, I didn't do much, really. I was just, kind of, there to help." She's so modest and so lovely. I've really missed her loveliness today. Should I tell her? Or, is it too weird? I don't know. Let's find out.

"I... I missed you today," and there's silence. Yeah, it was too weird. "You've been so wonderful to me, recently. I really don't know how to thank you."

"Well... you can take me to the park," she jokes. "Tomorrow - let's take that trip Sofia wanted. I can bring Leo, too."

"That sounds perfect," I beam down the phone. "We could go at lunch. I'll pack a picnic for us."

"You'll do no such thing. I'll take care of that. You just make sure you and Sofia are up and ready for a fun day. I'll pick you up at 12."

...

 _Alex_  
Jo has fallen asleep on my shoulder and, with the remote just out of reach, I'm left watching this chickflick. I can't wait for Arizona to come back so she can turn this drivel off for me. She's been gone for like half an hour, who the hell is she talking to?

Finally, she comes back into the room, smiling from ear to ear.

"Who was that?" I ask with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, uh- it was Amelia," she says quickly. "She was just checking up on me. She's so sweet."

"Uh huh," I give her a knowing smirk, but she chooses to catch me off-guard with an entirely different topic of conversation.

"Alex, I wanna come back to work," she blurts out.

"Not a chance," I fire back. "You need to recover."

"Please... Next week, I want to try. I know it's soon..."

"You're damn right it's soon! Arizona, it hasn't even been a week and you're talking about coming back to work."

"The tiny humans need me, Alex! Forget my issues, I'll just have to get over them. In fact, I already am. I'm over it. I'm ready."

"Arizona, you were attacked. Violently attacked. And, whether you think you're over it or not, you don't know how you're going to feel when you arrive at that hospital for the first time. I mean, come on, you couldn't even stay there to complete your treatment. So, come back, by all means. Visit as many times as you want. But, not as a surgeon. Not for the meantime." She's visibly upset and I hate that I've made the women I consider a sister feel like that.

"Ok..." she says, head down, voice barely above a whisper. I grab her shoulder best I can without disturbing Jo.

"You know I wouldn't let anyone come back this soon, right? It's not a reflection on you." She nods, but I know I haven't convinced her. I sigh and prepare myself for the sentences I'm about to utter. "I need you to do something really important for me before you come back," I say calmly. She looks up at me, eyebrows knotted together as though she knows what I'm about to say. "I want you to see someone in psych."


	9. Part 9

_Arizona_  
Callie dropped Sofia off an hour ago so we could have a little time together, just the two of us. She's been telling me all about school and the new books she's been reading. She's also told me about all the new friends she's made. It's such a relief to hear. The poor girl has been moved around so much in the past couple of years that I was worried she wouldn't want to make any more friends.

The doorbell rings and I all of a sudden feel nervous. Like I'm slightly underdressed or something - which is ridiculous because we're going to the park! I walk to the front door and straighten out my grey oversized jumper and black skinny jeans the best I can. I open the door and see Amelia holding Leo in one arm and a picnic basket in the other.

 _Amelia_  
Leo and I are greeted by a huge smile. The best smile.

"Hi, little man!" Arizona says in her baby voice and holding out her arms for him. She gives him a snuggle and tickles his tummy. "Oh, you are so scrummy, yes you are!" I think my ovaries just exploded. She is very cute with kids.

"Hi, Amelia," I hear a little voice say. I look down and smile at Sofia and before I can reply she takes my hand. I think she's ready to go. "Hi, Leo," she says, trying out her own baby tone.

"Hi!" Arizona says, turning her attention to me and enveloping me in the biggest hug she can muster with her free arm. I return the embrace and kiss her on the cheek.

"How've you been?" I ask as we start walking towards the park.

"Amelia, you saw me two days ago," Arizona smiles and nudges me with her elbow. "I'm okay, honestly," she tries to reassure me.

She doesn't look okay. A million times better than before, but not 100%. The nasty bruising around her eyes is fading to a yellow colour but she still looks exhausted. Is it a good idea for her to be carrying Leo? I don't want him to tire her out... Or for her to drop him! I wonder if she's slept properly. Last night was the first time she was alone. I mean, Alex and Jo were in the next room, but she slept alone. I hate it. I hate that she was alone. God, she's pretty. How is she still this pretty with bruising and stitches and minimal sleep? Stop. Why am I thinking about how pretty she is? And, why do I hate the thought of her being alone? What is happening to me?!

"Hello, Earth to Amelia," I hear as a hand is waved in front of my face. This makes both kids laugh, even though I'm pretty sure Leo doesn't understand the joke being a one-and-a-half-year-old.

"Hmm?" I say trying to come around from my thoughts. I see that beautiful smile and all I want to do is kiss her. Wait, what? I want to kiss Arizona?

"What food did you bring?" she says through soft laughter. Is she laughing at me?

"Oh... uh, nothing special," I smile back. "Sandwiches, cookies, fruit, chips, that kind of thing..." I trail off.

"What are you thinking about, Amelia Shepherd?" She asks me somewhat playfully. For the love of all that is good in the world, do not say 'your gorgeous face'. Compose yourself. Dammit, Amelia!

"Oh, nothing... just work stuff," I brush off. Oh, great, now I've made her concerned. Her eyebrows are knotted together.

"Is everything okay?"

"Oh... yeah, nothing serious-serious! You know how work is!" I say quickly.

Our walk is filled with comfortable chit-chat and entertaining the kids. Soon, we're at the park and we let the children have a little more free-reign. Sweetly, Sofia takes Leo's hand and guides him towards the climbing frame. She's being very careful with him and it's adorable. I smile at Arizona and put my hand on her back.

"Are you alright?" The walk was only ten minutes but it's tired her. She smiles and nods at me. I take my hand away only to spread out the picnic blanket. I place the basket in the middle and we sit down, keeping our eyes glued to the children. "She's very good with him," I say, observing Sofia's behaviour with Leo. I'm not looking at her, but I can feel her smile.

"Yeah, she loves the little ones," she says, proudly. "She wants to be a teacher when she grows up."

"I can't cope with this kid. She is too sweet." I say, a little overwhelmed with cuteness. Sat next to Arizona and watching the kids play, I don't think I've ever felt quite so content. She leans back on her elbows, legs stretched out, and closes her eyes for a few moments, letting the gentle breeze wash over her. She looks completely serene. She opens her eyes again to look at me.

"What about you? What do you wanna be when you grow up?" She asks, playfully. I smile at the question and think carefully.

"Hmm... mermaid. Is that allowed?" I ask, playing along. I get a giggle in reply.

"You like the sea?" She asks and I shrug.

"I don't mind it," I reply. "It's sort of liberating... feels almost limitless when you just let yourself float in it." I feel like maybe this is getting a bit too deep for a chilled out Saturday picnic. "Sounds kinda lame..." Starting to feel a little uncomfortable, I mirror her position and plant both of my elbows on the picnic blanket, leaning back casually.

"No, I get it," she reassures me. We smile at each other before Sofia throws herself onto Arizona's stomach. This is closely followed by Leo copying her and doing the same thing to me. The picnic blanket is then filled with tickles and playfulness and the most wonderful laughter.

"Okay... okay... Are you guys ready for food?" I ask, regaining some responsibility. All three of them nod. I smirk at the adult I'm sitting with. "I was asking the kids, Arizona."

 _Arizona_  
I am having the best time with Amelia and the kids. The park has kept Leo and Sofia busy for almost an hour, giving Amelia and I a chance to just talk to each other. Sometimes about work, sometimes about other stuff. I feel like I know her so much more already. She's really fun and interesting and thinks so deeply. She's been asking me about the Robbins-Herman Center for Women's Health. I explain the relocation process from New York to Grey Sloan. I can hear myself being boring, but she's hanging on every word.

Looking at her so focused on what I'm saying, eyes fixed on mine... she's simply breathtaking. I'm having to concentrate really hard on what I'm saying so that everything that comes out of my mouth actually makes sense, but all I'm thinking about is how beautiful she looks.

"So, Herman's staying in New York and your running the other center here?"

"Right," I say trying to get my mind back on track. "She was kinda pissed... I made her set it up in New York and then only stayed there six months, but then I convinced her we'd be reaching more students and helping more women."

"Smart move, Robbins," she grins at me and I completely melt. Woah, hold the phone. Do I have a crush on Amelia?

"Mommy, can Leo and Amelia come and see my toys at home?" A little voice stops my thoughts before they get out of hand. "I think I have some old ones that Leo would like."

I turn to Amelia to seek her approval. She's wiping Leo's hands and face with a wet wipe and smiling at Sofia. "I think he'd like that," she says, gently.

We start to gather our things in preparation to leave and make sure the children are ready to walk back. I manage to stand without much trouble. My head feels a little fuzzy and I falter. Fuck, I'm going to hit the floor... In front of my kid.

"Oh... hey, hey," Amelia's slender but strong arms surround me and stop me from falling. She helps me upright while my head adjusts. "Are you okay?" she asks in a whisper.

Our faces are inches apart now. My eyes dart to her lips and back to her eyes. Don't kiss a straight girl, don't kiss a straight girl. I nod my head quickly.

"Yeah," I whisper back, slowly rubbing the arms I'm holding on to for support as a gesture of gratitude. "Thank you," I say, keeping my voice quiet. I look for my daughter and realise she didn't notice the potential fall. Fortunately, she was busy helping Leo with a stray shoe. Before long, we head off.

Sofia gets more excited as we get closer to the house. She's holding both my hand and Amelia's hand and we are swinging her in between us. Leo is more than happy to be carried back after a very busy morning. Amelia's left arm supports him as he sits on her hip and his little arms are wrapped around her neck. He's sleepily giggling at Sofia.

We get home and conversation naturally turns back to work. Amelia and I take a seat on the sofa whilst Sofia shows Leo her old toys. She's putting them into piles; ones Leo will like and ones he won't.

"So, did you talk to Alex?" She asks and I sigh.

"He wants me to visit the hospital first; no work, just seeing people." I say. I can't look at her. I feel a little embarrassed that I'm not able to do my job yet. "He also wants me to see someone in psych," I can feel my cheeks flush. "Y'know, someone to talk to. Get it all out there..." She takes my hand and I look at her.

"I think that's a good idea," her blue eyes bore into mine.

"I'm not so sure..." I trail off. "My first appointment is on Monday."

"I'll drive you," she says without a moments hesitation. "I'm off Monday but was going to go in to check up on a few patients anyway." She's so compassionate. She's caring for me without being my carer. She's not telling me what I should or should not be doing, or treating me like I'm disabled. She's just watching out for me. I squeeze her hand and smile at her.

"Thank you."


	10. Part 10

_Amelia_  
Arizona is waiting outside when I pull up to the house. She opens the passenger door quickly and rushes herself inside the car. She takes a deep breath before she says anything.

"Hey," she says, smiling weakly.

"How you doing?" I ask, reserving myself from asking the multitude of questions whirling around my head. What I really want to ask is: 'How are you sleeping?', 'Are you in pain?', 'Are you okay being alone here?', 'Do you need me here more often?', 'Have you been eating enough?', 'Do you think the drugs have left your system?', 'What do you need?' But, I'm not here for that. I'm here to be supportive.

"Fine," she says, quickly. She's so quiet. I don't like it. Arizona's always full of chat. She's infamous for it at the hospital. I put my hand on her forearm and squeeze lightly.

"You don't have to lie to me," I say, firmly. "I'm not here to judge, or to worry, or to tell you what to do. I'm here to listen."

"I'm a little nervous," she whispers. "It took me a while to get through the door by myself. I felt on edge being outside alone." Her brows are furrowed together and I can tell she's contemplating whether or not she should have told me that.

"Well, you got through the door. That's a good start," I smile at her as I start to drive towards the hospital.

"Thanks for coming to get me," she says, a little more relaxed now. "And, for everything else. You're so good to me. I don't know what I would have done without you these past two weeks."

"You don't have to thank me," I can feel my face becoming pink. I've never been good at taking compliments. Especially from pretty girls. Oh my God, there I go again. Stop it, Amelia. Now is not the time.

We talk comfortably about anything other than the hospital for the next twenty minutes. There's jokes and laughter all the way... Until we reach the hospital car park. I definitely feel a shift in the atmosphere. She's completely silent, staring at her fidgeting hands. I park in a space where we can see the main entrance clearly. I turn the ignition off and unbuckle my belt but Arizona doesn't move. I look at her for a few moments and feel horribly sad, before remembering that I need to be strong for her. I get out of the car and make my way round to Arizona's side. I open the door and she still doesn't move; head still down, lips pursed. She's shaking slightly. I tuck some strands of hair behind her ear and rest my hand on her shoulder. She looks at me with shiny eyes, tears threatening to spill over.

"I'm here," I whisper. "Every step of the way."

She swallows the lump in her throat and then blinks a couple of times, making the tears disappear. She exhales sharply and gets herself out the car. She grabs my left upper arm, implying that she needs my support. I loop my arm so she can keep it there as we walk side by side towards Grey Sloan. My right hand covers hers as I feel her grip tighten. She glances to the side of the hospital where the attack happened and I can hear her breathing quicken. Her eyes are stretched wide with anxiety.

"It's okay. It's daytime. Lots of people about." I state simply in a quiet voice. "Keep going. I'm here." She's tense. If I let her go, I'm fairly certain she would collapse.

"Where's my car?" she asks out of the blue. Oh, right. No one's told her about this yet.

"It's at Karev's," I explain. "He took it to the garage and got it fixed so you didn't have to worry about it."

"That's... that's so kind of him," she says in a daze. We're inside the hospital now and we've come to a standstill. She loosens her grip on my arm and lets her arm fall to her side. I put my hand in the middle of her back and gently guide her down the corridor.

"Did Mer see you this week?" I try and distract her away from focusing too much on what's happening around her.

"Um... yeah, she popped in yesterday actually," she says, calmly. "She gave me some diazepam to try and help me sleep. They didn't really work."

"You're still not sleeping?" I try not to sound concerned, but the drugs will have been out of her system for days. It's certainly not them keeping her awake anymore.

"Not really," she shakes her head. "I have no trouble getting to sleep but then I'll wake up at like 3am with night sweats. I dunno... maybe it's anxiety or something."

I'm about to reply when her eyes change. She freezes and her expression turns from nervous to terrified. Her mouth is slung open but no sound is coming out. I feel her entire body tremble. I assume she's changed her mind about talking to someone in psych, but this reaction is a little... off.

"Arizona... Hey..." I try to get her to look at me but she doesn't move. Then I realise it's not the psych ward she's staring at, but a patient. A tall man with dark features having a consult with Jo Karev.

"That's him..." It comes out as a whisper but as she continues her voice gets louder. "Amelia, that's him." As she backs up a couple of steps, her breathing is fast and erratic. I study the man's face. She's right. It is him; the man who attacked her. The man who drugged her and tried to rape her. Suddenly, Alex appears and carefully holds Arizona by both arms.

"Arizona, it's okay," he says trying to calm her down. "If you're not ready, we can reschedule." He assumes the same as me, not having heard her words.

"Get Jo out of there now! That's him!" She screams, tears rolling down her cheeks. He looks at me to confirm if it's true. I nod my head and watch Alex as he rushes into the room and forces Jo out. He locks the door behind him and roars at the man in the hospital bed. Don't hit him, Alex. Don't hit him.

I dial 911 as quickly as I can. "Police... please... Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital..."

"What's going on?" Jo asks, completely confused by what's just happened.

"That's the bastard who attacked Arizona," I explain.

"Oh, my God..." Jo grits her teeth and her own eyes fill with tears. "Where is she?" What? She's gone!

"Oh, fuck. She was right here!" I start to panic.

"She can't be far. You go that way, I'll go this way." Jo says, gesturing in different directions.

I rush up the corridor, checking every room I pass. Where the hell is she? I look in through the window of the supplies cupboard but can't see her. I push the door open and can hear her sobs.

"Jo, over here," I shout up the corridor before searching the room. She's sat in between two of the shelving units, hugging her knees to her chest. Her breathing is all over the place and the crying is tumultuous. I'm immediately on the floor in front of her, kneeling down to look at her face.

"Shh... it's okay," I say as soothingly as I can. My hands cover hers and I search my head for something helpful to say. "The police are coming. They're taking him away."

"He can't hurt you," I hear Jo's voice next to me. I didn't even notice her come in. "He can't hurt anyone."

"P-Please... please make sure Alex hasn't killed him," she says between heavy breaths. Jo nods and kisses her on the forehead.

"It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay," she says, before leaving to check on her husband.

The crying has subsided but is still present. She's definitely having a panic attack. With her legs now flat to the floor, I wrap my arms around her. One of my hands supports her head, while the other rubs her back. I put my cheek against hers and subtly rock us from side to side. She clings to my shirt and buries her head into my shoulder. It takes several minutes, but she eventually calms down.

 _Arizona_  
She's stayed with me the whole time, calming me down and reassuring me through a panic attack. She just knows what to do and what to say. I want to tell her how grateful I am but I can't verbalise anything right now. I feel safe in her arms. I don't want to move but we can't spend the rest of the day in the supply cupboard. I lean out of the embrace and rest my head against the wall behind me. I give her a small smile and hold on to her hands.

"Are you alright?" She asks me. I'm exhausted but I nod my head anyway. I need to close my eyes for a few seconds. I can feel more tears coming. She must be able to tell because I feel her kiss my cheek. "It's okay," she whispers, before placing another kiss on my forehead. "It's okay," she whispers again, before peppering my face with light, comforting kisses. When she stops, I open my eyes.

Her gentle eyes look into mine with concern. I bring my hands up to her face and my eyes dart around trying to read her expression. I don't know if this is a good idea, but I'm going to do it anyway.

I lean forward, and place a soft, slow kiss on her lips. As it ends, I open my eyes and check for some sort of reaction. There's a pause. I've definitely shocked her. But, she responds with another gentle kiss, putting her arms back around me and pulling our bodies closer together. It's so passionate that there's no way she hasn't thought about this before now. Much to my dismay, the kiss comes to an end. Neither of us deepen it. This isn't the time or the place. She leans her forehead against mine before kissing that spot one last time and pulling me into an embrace. She moves to be next to me, and runs her fingers through my hair as I snuggle into her shoulder. We don't talk about it. We don't talk about anything. We just sit together, appreciating the quiet that falls around us and soaking up each others presence.


	11. Part 11

_Amelia_

The kiss took me aback. I wasn't expecting it. I can't help but wonder if she regrets it; if it was just emotions running high. I really, really hope not. It was brief but incredible.

We've been sat the same way for about 15 minutes now, in complete and utter silence. My hand is still tangled in her hair, soothingly massaging her scalp. She's nestled into my shoulder and my cheek rests on top of her head. Her breathing has settled completely now.

I hear the door swing open and feel Arizona's body tense. She still doesn't feel safe.

"It's okay," I say so quietly that only she can hear. She stays nestled in but grabs one of my hands for extra security. I look up to see Jo who brings a calm atmosphere with her. She sits the other side of Arizona and gently takes her unoccupied hand.

"He's gone. They've taken him into custody," she says quietly. "The police want to talk to you."

"Can they not do it another day?" I ask, totally agitated by the insensitivity of it all.

"I explained the situation and they still seem quite eager to talk today," Jo explains, apologetically.

"It's okay," I hear Arizona say groggily. "Let's get it over with..."

Jo and I help her to her feet. She doesn't let go of our hands. Her feet don't seem ready to move.

"Is Alex okay?" she asks Jo, concern evident in her eyes.

"He's fine," she smiles. "He scared the guy... like really scared him, but he didn't lay a finger on him." She goes on ahead to open the door for us. "He's with the police now. He'll be there with you. Don't worry." She nods and turns to me with scared eyes.

"I will, too," I confirm with a gentle smile.

We walk down the corridor and towards Karev's office. Inside, I can see two police officers sitting across the desk from him. Jo knocks on the door and opens it when she hears, "Come in."

"Dr Robbins, Dr Shepherd," she introduces us quickly and closes the door behind us.

"Good morning, Dr Robbins. We'll try not to take up too much of your time." The taller man says, politely. "May I ask who you are?" he asks me.

"Amelia Shepherd," I hold my hand out to shake his. "I'm a doctor here, too. I witnessed the attack."

"Dr Robbins, are you happy for Dr Shepherd to be a part of this conversation?"

"Yes, yes, definitely!" she says quickly, worried they're going to make me leave the room.

...

 _Arizona_

The police ask me question after question and, though I answer the best I can, I feel as though I haven't given them much information or evidence. Amelia, on the other hand, is brilliant. She's relaying details I'd completely forgotten about.

I'm confused as to why he'd come to this hospital for treatment. Surely he'd avoid this place at all costs for fear of being recognised. I tell this to the police and they give me a clichéd 'the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime'. To be honest, I think they're just as baffled as me.

The police told us my attacker will not be granted bail and they'd be searching his apartment later today. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about what might be hiding in his home.

"The suspect's name is James Blake," the policeman reveals. "Might you have had any contact with him or any of his family members before?" One of them asks. I rack my brain, trying to think.

"Blake? As in Penny Blake?" Amelia asks. Callie's ex-girlfriend. Is this man related to Penny?

"My ex-wife dated a woman named Penny Blake, but I don't think she has family around here," I state bluntly.

"And your ex-wife's name?"

"Calliope Torres... she works here, too." The police note it down and stand up to shake our hands.

"Thank you for your time doctors. We'll be in touch soon." And, with that, they leave. It's a relief.

...

On the way out, I rearrange my appointment with the psychiatrist. I'm leaning on the Reception desk, signing some documents, when I feel a familiar hand on my back. I already know that it's Amelia.

"You good?" she asks casually. I smile and nod at her.

Amongst all the chaos and confusion, I can't help but think of that kiss we shared. That perfect, heart-stopping kiss. I hope it wasn't a one-off; a meaningless comfort kiss. I want to kiss her again and again.

"I'm good," I confirm. "You should go check on those patients you wanted to see. I want to catch up with Richard, anyway."

"Are you sure?" she asks. I know that if I said 'no', she'd take me home immediately. But, I genuinely do want to see Webber.

"I'm sure," I confirm again with a smile. She smiles back and steps closer to me. So close that I think we might kiss again.

"I won't be long," she say quietly before kissing my cheek. She looks at me intensely, as though she's checking that what she's just done is okay. I give her a crooked smirk, trying to signal that I haven't forgotten about our kiss.

She makes her way quickly down the corridor and I turn to walk the opposite way, searching for Webber. I find him in one the CT scan rooms, checking over someone's liver results. Seems like it's a pretty slow day for him.

"Hi, Richard," I say quietly. He turns to look at me.

"Arizona... What are you doing here?"

"Well... it's good to see you, too!" I reply in jest. Before I even finished the sentence, he's enveloped me in a fatherly hug. I've never had a hug quite like this from him before. It reminds me of the hug Mark Sloan gave me on the morning of my wedding day. The hug that comforted me when I was heartbroken that my brother wasn't there during such a special time. It was one of those hugs that tries to protect you from the world. And, now Richard is giving me the same one. He breaks the embrace and holds me at arms length. I feel like I'm about to be scolded.

"You should be resting," he states, firmly.

"I'm going home soon," I say, trying to ease his worry. "Just wanted to visit before I come back to work." I choose to leave out any drama of the day and we fall into easy conversation. We decide to walk to the break room and get a coffee.

As we make our way down the hallway, I'm stopped by Callie who rushes me into an embrace.

"Are you alright?" she asks, shakily.

"Callie, I'm fine," I say, quickly. I look at her with wide eyes, trying to gesture for her to stop talking. I don't want Richard to stress about the traumatic day I've had. It goes completely unnoticed.

"I'm so sorry," she bites her lip and I watch as a couple of her tears fall to the ground. "I spoke to the police," she says quietly. "He's... he's Penny's brother," she reveals. "The man who attacked you... it's her brother."


	12. Part 12

_Amelia_  
I've just checked in on my last patient. I don't know why I even bothered, I could barely listen to a thing they were saying. I'm hoping my bedside manner wasn't too shabby. There's just too much running through my head.

I walk towards the waiting room and find Arizona sitting in a chair next to her ex-wife. It makes my stomach flip. Am I seriously getting feelings of jealousy already? Am I allowed to be getting jealous? They're talking seriously. Arizona's face is stoic and Callie looks as though she's been crying.

"Do you need a few minutes?" I ask, sensitively. Both women turn to me and stand up. Callie tries to straighten herself out and hide any evidence of tears. She walks past me quickly and Arizona is left with a blank expression. "Hey, what happened?" I ask, taking her hand.

"James Blake is Penny's brother," she says, almost robotically.

Oh, my God. It's Penny's brother? This has got to mean that he targeted Arizona specifically, but why?! She stares into space for a few moments before catching my eyes with hers. "Can you take me home, please?" She whispers, looking at me with pleading eyes. So much has happened today, she must be completely drained.

"Of course," I say, squeezing the hand I'm still holding. "Come on."

 _Arizona_  
As we walk towards the exit, I can feel myself getting emotional again. I grab Amelia's arm with both hands and hold it close to me as I walk. Without flinching, she continues to lead us out. I'm so glad she's here with me. I'd probably still be in the supply cupboard having a panic attack if she wasn't. Tears are stinging my eyes, yet again. I've had enough of crying. I've done too much of it in the past two weeks. I'm so bored of feeling tired and sad. I just want to move on and get on with my life. Now my attacker has been caught, hopefully that process can begin.

...

 _Amelia_  
The drive back is quiet. Obviously, I'm not surprised by this. She's come face-to-face with the man who tried to rape her. The man who drugged her with so much shit that she could have died. I just want to make her feel better. I want to do anything that's going to make her feel a little better. Then, all of a sudden, it hits me. I know how to make her feel better. At least for a little while.

"We missed our turning," she says quietly.

"We're making a quick detour," I say with a reassuring smile. I drive down a familiar route and park up in a side street. "We've got to walk a little," I look at her and she smiles at me. God, it's so good to see those cute dimples.

"What are you up to?" she asks, intrigued.

"You'll see," I say as mysteriously as I can. I help her out of the car and lead her down a deserted path into the wooded area that I've been through so many times before.

"Are you about to murder me?" She jokes. I smirk at her.

"Not if you promise to keep this place a secret," I fire back.

Soon, we're through the trees and come out into the clearing. The ground has turned to sand and the smell of the sea fills my lungs. I found this secluded part of the beach when I first moved to Seattle. I'm fairly certain we're the only people who have ever been here. Recently, anyway. There's a fallen down tree in front of us that I've often used as a seat when I've needed to clear my mind. I turn my head to look at the stunning woman next to me. Her eyes are sparkling, and her mouth hangs open slightly.

"It's beautiful," she says, staring at the sea.

"Yeah..." I trail off and find myself studying her beautiful features yet again. I try to shake any inappropriate thoughts from my mind and focus solely on making her feel better. "Limitless," I say, hoping she remembers our conversation from the other day. Her smile tells me she does. Suddenly, she grabs my hand and drags us both towards the sea.

"We're getting in," comes the determined sentence.

"What?!" I come to a sudden halt, but that's not going to stop her. She kicks off her shoes and paddles into the sea.

"Ah... it's freezing!" She says making me laugh.

"Of course it's freezing! It's the middle of November! Arizona, you're going to get hyperthermia!" I'm trying to tell her off, but the laugh that's coming out with my words means that it's having no real effect. She kicks water my way and manages to soak me from head to toe. "Oh, that is it, Arizona Robbins!" I take my own shoes and coat off and run into the sea myself, kicking water back. She screams excitedly and before long, it's all out kick-splash war. We're both laughing that giddy kind of laugh that you can't stop or control.

Suddenly, she lunges herself at me in an attempt to topple me over. I manage to grab hold of her and we both drop into the freezing ocean. We are both completely drenched now, and, despite the shocking cold brought by the sea, we are still laughing like lunatics. We're sitting facing each other. Arizona has a mischievous look spread across her face. She starts batting waves my way with her hands. I leap towards her and grab both of her wrists, stopping her assault. And, suddenly the laughing stops... because my lips are on hers and the playfulness has turned into passion. As my hands move to her waist, she wraps her arms around my neck. The kisses are different this time; quicker, but still full of tenderness. As she deepens the kiss, I pull her onto my lap so that she is straddling me. When I feel her tongue graze past mine, I rub my hands up her thighs to her ass. I pull her closer, thrusting her hips towards me and I feel her shiver. She's turned on, and so am I. This is, hands down, the hottest make out session I have ever had. But, now she's stopped. She leans her forehead against mine, and we both try to get our breath back.

"We... we should stop," she says, breathlessly. I don't like that plan. I pout before placing gentle kisses on her neck and she throws her head back. "Y'know... because... the sea... cold..." One of her hands finds its way into my hair and she tugs slightly. I bite my lip to suppress a moan. I look into her eyes. They are full of desire. I don't think I've ever been more aroused. She leans in to give me one more lingering kiss before pulling back and tucking my hair behind my ears. We give each other that knowing smile for a few moments before we stand and walk back to the beach, arm in arm. Once I feel the sand turn soft beneath my feet, I spin her around to face me and kiss her again. It seems I can't get enough. I lay her down in the sand and press my body against hers, continuing the kiss.

 _Arizona_  
Every nerve on my body is standing on end. Amelia has this uncontrollable effect over me. I want her to go down on me right here, right now. But, something's not quite right. Though my mind is mostly clouded by lust, there's a little voice in the back of my head telling me this isn't the right time. Maybe it's because we haven't really acknowledged what this is.

"Wait, wait, Amelia!" I say, maybe a bit too quickly. I think I've panicked her.

"I'm sorry... Are you okay?" She says, uncertainty sketched over her face. I smile and lean up to give her a reassuring peck.

"I'm really, really horny," I whisper with a teasing smile. "But, I think we need to slow down a little."

"Right... you're right we should," she sighs.

 _Amelia_  
Reluctantly, I peel my body off Arizona's and stand, helping her up along the way. She smiles and kisses me again. I could really get used to this.

Her whole body shivers as a gust of wind rushes past us. I pick up my previously discarded coat and drape it around her shoulders.

"C'mon, we'll put the heating on full blast in the car," I say before we head back through the trees. We get into my car and try to warm up.

The drive back is quiet but comfortable. We can't seem to stop smiling at each other. Before I know it, we're back at Arizona's house. I walk her to the door, hoping for one more kiss before I have to go home.

"You should come in," she starts. "Get some dry clothes. It's the least I can do," she says, sweetly.

"Arizona, you and I both know that if I go into that house, there's going to be no clothes involved at all!" I state.

"Is that so?" She raises her eyebrows at me with a smirk.

"I wanna take you out!" I blurt out. Smooth, Amelia. I compose myself a little before rephrasing. "... Would you like to? Go out with me, I mean... on a date." Okay, that wasn't any smoother. Why am I so nervous all of a sudden? A few minutes ago we were about to have sex in the middle of a beach, and now I'm worried she's going to say no to a dinner?

"Hmm, I'm going to have to think about that one..." Is she kidding? Oh, God. Please be kidding! "Okay, I've thought about it..." She pulls me into that kiss I was looking for. When she pulls back, she looks at me intensely and I completely melt. She whispers seductively: "I would love to go on a date with you, Amelia Shepherd."


	13. Part 13

_Arizona_

Amelia and I haven't seen each other for five days. That's the longest amount of time since the attack. She's texted and called as much as possible but it's not the same as having her here in person. I'm really missing her but I love the anticipation that's been building up to tonight; our first date. I have no idea where she's taking me, but she's told me to wear something 'smart-casual'. So, now I'm standing in front of the clothes in my walk-in closet sighing at the lack of choice I have. So many clothes, so little to wear.

I pick out a few options. I guess a dress is my best bet. Something blue? Something black? Red? Green? Yellow? Urgh. Why is this so difficult? I think I like this coral one. But, it's kind of leggy. Maybe too leggy. The prosthetic I have now is pretty life-like but I still can't help feeling a little self-conscious about it. I try the dress on to check its suitability and spend the next fifteen minutes studying it in the mirror. The bottom half is bodycon and clings to my thighs, hips and waist. The dolman sleeves and off-the-shoulder shape of the dress at the top make me feel more comfortable. I spend the next few minutes looking at my leg. To my surprise, and relief, it doesn't look completely ridiculous.

The dress will do. I take it off and hang it up ready for later. I pull my jeans and comfy oversized jumper back on and start messing with my hair in the mirror. Now, how the hell should I do this?

Suddenly, I hear a knock at my door. I freeze. I don't know who it is. I'm not expecting anyone. I check my phone, but there are no missed calls. As I make my way slowly down the stairs, the person outside knocks again. It could be anyone. I can feel my heart beat faster and faster, and my body starts to tremble. I crouch down on the stairs and try to calm myself.

No, come on, Arizona. You can't be afraid to answer your own door. Don't be a victim. I push through the panic and force myself to the front door. I unlock it and open it slightly to reveal the two policemen I spoke to at the hospital. What are they doing here?

"Good morning, Dr Robbins," one of them greets me. "I hope this isn't a bad time," he says, glancing at my face. I must look panic-stricken. I swallow and try to look calm.

"No, please, come in," I open the door wider and gesture for them to enter my house. I close the door behind them and usher them towards the living room.

I offer them a coffee, but they decline and take a seat on my sofa. I sit on the armchair to the side and wait for them to ask me more questions, or give me more information, or something. One sighs deeply before he starts to talk.

"We've searched James Blake's apartment," he begins. "What we're about to show you may be quite distressing, but we need you to be aware of the severity of the situation. Especially if this goes to court. Do you understand, Dr Robbins?"

I nod, though I'm terrified. What are they about to show me? They hand me a padded out envelope. I can't stop my hands from shaking as I take it. I stare it for a few seconds and then look up at the policeman.

"Dr Robbins, would you like us to call someone for you before you open it?" One asks, sensing my apprehension. I shake my head. There's no point in dragging my friends into this. Mum and Dad are too far away, and they don't know the extent of the attack. I dialled it right down; played it off as a few scrapes and bruises. I didn't want to panic them.

"No... no, that's okay. Thank you."

Hand still shaking, I reach into the envelope and pull out some pictures. The first few are pictures of the drugs he kept in the apartment. Some of them are labelled "AR"; my initials. The next one is snapshot of a room filled with pictures pinned to cork boards.

"This is James Blake's office," the officer explains. "The pictures behind are what we retrieved from this room."

I move the top picture to one side and flick through the rest. They're all pictures of me. Pictures of me entering Grey Sloan, pictures of me driving, pictures of me at the bar, pictures of me outside my home. The next picture makes me inhale sharply. It's a picture of me and Sofia outside her school. My stomach flips and my heart is pounding. He knows where my little girl goes to school. Anything could have happened.

"Dr Robbins, we are serving Mr Blake with stalking charges and also charging him with assault with the intent to rape. We are under the impression that Mr Blake will plead 'not guilty'. He has been very tight-lipped during interrogation. If that happens, the case will go to trial." He states, bluntly. I nod my head. This means I'm almost definitely going to have to see him again.

I don't hear much after that. I can't concentrate on anything. I thank the officers for coming and see them out of my house. As I close the door, I press my back against it and let out short, sharp breaths. I bring my knees up to my chest and throw my head back against the door. My palms are sweating and silent tears stream down my face. Another panic attack. Only this time I'm alone. It takes much longer for me to compose myself.

About a half hour later, I manage to drag myself back into the living room. I pick up my cell and search my contacts for Callie's name. I need to see my daughter.

"Hello?"

"Callie," her name comes out as a sob.

"Arizona? What's wrong?" She says immediately, voice full of panic.

"Callie... Sofia... I need to see her! Please!" I say, softly. I'm struggling to get out full sentences.

"Okay, it's okay... I'll bring her now," she says quickly. I can hear her getting keys and shouting Sofia's name. I hang up and walk to the mirror in the hallway. I look half-dead and I need to perk myself up. I don't want my daughter to see me like this.

...

 _Callie_

I pull onto my ex-wife's drive and turn the ignition off quickly. The house is silent and still. God, I hope she's okay.

"C'mon, sweetie. Let's go see what mommy's up to," I say as calmly as I can. Sofia is out of the car like a shot and running towards Arizona's front door. She knocks quickly and smiles widely at me. Though worried, I smile back. She gets so excited every time I drop her here. I love the connection they have.

A few moments later she opens the door. She looks okay... She looks better than okay. Radiant, actually. She's pinned her hair back in the same kind of style she wore at Kepner's first wedding. With her hair out of her face, those gorgeous blue eyes really shine through. They look a little bloodshot, but beautiful nonetheless. On closer inspection, she's covered her face lightly with foundation. Probably to cover the fact she's been crying.

She smiles gently at me, revealing her endearing dimples, before crouching down and wrapping her arms around our daughter. She's clinging tight, one hand holding the back of her head securely.

"Hi, Little Goose," she says, her eyes glimmering.

"Mommy, are you okay?" Sofia asks, innocently.

"I'm fine, sweetheart... I just missed you!" That's definitely an excuse. She kisses her on the head and ends the embrace. "Let's go to the play room. I need to speak to your mama, okay?"

"Okay, mommy,"

Sofia rushes on ahead as Arizona shuts the door and locks it behind us. She's transparently on edge.

"Are you okay?" I ask, praying she gives me a real answer. Unfortunately, she doesn't. Just a head nod as we walk in the direction Sofia's just taken. "What's going on?"

"I had a visit from the police this morning," she says, just above a whisper. She looks around to make sure our daughter is preoccupied with her toys and not listening to our conversation. "They showed me what was in James Blake's apartment," she continues. I bow my head. I'm desperate for Penny not to be involved in this but it's just too much of a coincidence. I regret ever bringing that woman into our lives. "He's been following me since we came back from New York. He'd taken hundreds of pictures of me. They were hanging up in his house." She's biting her lip out of nervousness. "I need you to know... there was a picture he took of me and Sofia outside her school." She steps out of the play room, out of sight of Sofia, and I follow. She's emotional. And, so am I. He knows where Sofia goes to school. If the police hadn't gotten to him, I would have killed him already. "I'm... I'm so sorry," she whispers. "I'm so sorry I put her in danger."

"Oh, my God. Come here," I hold her close to me and relish the moment for a few seconds. "Arizona, that's not your fault," I try to comfort her, but know it's not going to be enough. I don't really know how to comfort her any more. Regardless, I continue to hold her in my arms.

"I have to see him again... when we go to trial," she says, plainly.

"You think he's going to plead 'not guilty'?" I ask, surprised. What he's done is so obvious. Why would he plead 'not guilty'? She nods her head. "Then you get a damn good lawyer and you make that bastard pay for what he has done," I kiss her lightly on the temple.

"Mommy? Are you sure you're okay?" Arizona quickly gets herself out of our embrace and bends down to speak to Sofia. She doesn't miss a trick, that kid.

"Yes, sweet girl. I'm feeling so much better now you're here," she says, enthusiastically, brushing a few messy strands out of Sofia's face and tucking them behind her ear. "I need your help with a special job. You need to help me choose some clothes..."

 _Arizona_

I show Sofia the coral dress I'd put to one side earlier. She tilts her head to one side and knots her eyebrows together as she looks at me in it.

"You don't like it?" I ask, disappointed. I may even be pouting. Children can be too honest sometimes.

"Mommy, I like the blue one," The blue one? What is she talking about? I watch her as she stands up and looks through the hangers like a tiny fashion designer. She smiles as she finds the desired item of clothing and pulls it out. "This one..." She brings it towards me.

This dress is so old. I'm pretty sure it's the dress I wore to Izzie and Alex's wedding. It's royal blue with a cowl neckline and purposeful knots in the straps.

"Ok, let's try this one," I take the rejected dress off and hang it back up. As the blue dress slides down towards my knee, I turn round to face Callie who's holding two cups of coffee.

"You look incredible," Callie says. I feel her eyes run up and down my body and I feel a little uncomfortable. "Where are you going?" she asks, handing me one of the cups.

"Oh... I... uh- I'm kind of... going on a date..."


	14. Part 14

_Amelia_

Ok, so I'm a few minutes early. 6:52pm. I'm allowed to be a little eager. This is Arizona Robbins I'm taking out, after all. The first ever woman I'm taking out on a date... Thinking about it, probably the first ever person I'm taking out a date. I feel like I've started at the top; with the most beautiful human.

Uneasily, I knock at her front door and stand fidgeting for a few seconds. Soon, I hear her unlock the door from the inside. Doors locked? She can't be feeling safe. It opens to reveal the most exquisite woman standing in front of me. Blonde hair pinned back, I can see every perfect feature of her face. The dress she's wearing falls just short of her knee, and clings in all the right places.

"Wow... you look..." I can't even find the words to describe how she looks. "Wow." Not sounding my most intelligent right now. That award-winning smile showing off her adorable dimples makes me melt entirely.

"You're looking pretty 'wow' yourself," she says, stepping much closer to me. We stop and stare at each other for a few moments. I'm finding it hard to breathe. Everything about her is so undeniably beautiful.

...

 _Arizona_

The restaurant Amelia's taken me to is unreal. Spectacular views of the space needle are on one side, while the other side shows the ocean. We're next to an ocean view window. The best view, however, is right across the table from me.

Amelia Shepherd has a certain glow about her that I haven't seen before. She's always beautiful, without a shadow of a doubt. But, there's something else about her tonight. Something romantic. Her hair is gently curled, brushing her shoulders lightly. She's wearing a black, lacy dress that contrasts perfectly with her pale skin. I want to rip it off her.

We've been comfortably talking over dinner for about an hour. We flirt, we talk about our lives, we flirt some more. The weird thing is, this doesn't feel weird. It's just natural. I've never done this before; friends then more. I've always jumped straight to the dates. People have always told me going from friendship to romance is awkward, so I was worried. As it turns out, this is the best first date I've been on.

"You really do look beautiful tonight," she says, making me blush a little.

 _Amelia_

Oh, she is SO cute when she blushes. She's looking down into what remains of her filet mignon, trying to avoid my gaze.

"The dress is pretty old... I wore it to Alex's first wedding," she says, trying to blow off the compliment. "Sofia chose it for me."

"Well, the girl's got good taste," I grin at her. "You look amazing."

"You look amazing,"she says, pointedly and she takes one of my hands on hers. "I've had such a great time with you tonight, Amelia," she smiles. She is just wonderful.

"Tell me something that nobody else knows about you," I say out of the blue, surprising myself and Arizona. She glances to one side, pursing her lips and furrowing her brows as though she's searching her head for a distant memory. She smiles when she remembers something.

"When we were little, my brother and I had a 'swears club'," she laughs. "We used to meet in our treehouse, and tell each other the worst cuss words we knew."

"Woah, hold up. We've got a badass over here," I joke. She slaps me lightly on the arm, and giggles. God, she's cute.

"Shut up," she says, playfully. "What about you? What can I know that no one else knows?"

There's so much I want to tell her. But, it's our first date. We need to keep it lighthearted. I don't want to destroy this jovial mood by becoming too intense. I lean in a little, keeping my eyes fixed on hers.

I speak just above a whisper: "Right now... I'm not wearing any panties." Her mouth slings open slightly, before she demands the attention of one of the servers.

"Hey... Can we get the check, please?"

...

 _Arizona_

We crash through the front door of Amelia's house together, lips locked and hands everywhere. We kick off our stilettos and throw our purses to one side. All of a sudden, I'm pinned to the hallway wall. Amelia holds my hands above my head and she kisses up and down my neck, nipping at my ear lobe, before leaving more kisses along my collar bone. As her incredible body grinds into mine, I groan loudly. Her grip on my wrists tightens and she comes back up to plant another passionate kiss on my lips. As our tongues dual for dominance, she thrusts her hips into me once again. I moan into her mouth. Quickly, her hands move to investigate my body, and I wrap my arms around her neck. She smoothly guides us into the living room, only stopping the kiss to whip my dress up over my head and throw it to the floor.

 _Amelia_

Only now do I slow down to take in the beautiful sight in front of me; Arizona Robbins in her underwear. She is breathtaking. With a flirtatious smile, she steps back into my body, takes my face in her hands and kisses me. My arms naturally wrap around her waist, pulling her near-naked body as close to me as possible. Suddenly, her hands are at my thighs and making their way under my dress. She inhales sharply as she realises that I was telling the truth; no underwear. My dress is off as quick as a flash. When she realises I'm not wearing a bra either, her eyes sparkle with desire. Before I know it, I'm on the sofa and she's leaving a trail of kisses down my cleavage. I throw my head back and moan. She captures my lips in hers and brings a hand up to massage my breast. The fingers on her other hand are dancing around my hip.

 _Arizona_

It looks as though Amelia has decided she wants to dominate instead. She sits up and unhooks my bra, continuing the kiss. It's thrown in the same direction as the purses and shoes. She moves us so that I'm sitting on the couch and she's on top. Suddenly, she stops the kiss and looks at me as we both try to get our breath back. She brushes strands of hair away from my face and smiles at me before slowly kissing her way down my body, stopping to flick my nipple with her tongue and making me moan. When she gets to my underwear, she delicately tugs them off. As she comes back up, she grabs both of my thighs, her hand carefully avoiding my prosthetic, and spins me to lie back down on the couch. This time, she's on top.

 _Amelia_

Arizona Robbins is naked and wet underneath me. I feel like I've won the lottery. I lean down and nip at her neck again before whispering in her ear.

"You are so beautiful," I say, before locking my lips with hers once more. As our bodies grind together, I feel my own desire start to run down my leg. The anticipation is intense. I don't think I can wait any longer.

I start to rub her clit steadily from side to side. I get the response I'm looking for. A loud built up moan escapes her lips as her nails dig into my shoulders. I kiss a spot behind her ear and feel her tremble. She's getting wetter by the second and it's driving me wild. I make my way down her body, leaving a trail of hot kisses down her stomach.

 _Arizona_

I feel as though I could spontaneously combust. Amelia Shepherd's head is between my legs. She looks at me as she takes the first long taste of my clit. I throw my head back and tangle my hands into her hair. This seems to spur her on. Her tongue flits and darts and dances around in a way I didn't know tongues could.

 _Amelia_

She tastes incredible; like the sweetest strawberry and elderflower. Building up a steady rhythm with my tongue, she releases moan after moan. I feel like I could orgasm just by listening to her. The intensity goes even further when she tugs roughly at my hair. She's about to come. I speed my movements up and hold her hips in place as she screams out in pleasure, her orgasm washing over both of us. I crawl back up her body and watch her as she tries to get her breath back, her eyes shut. I kiss her face lightly until they're open again. When she looks at me, I smile at her seductively and pull her back into another passionate kiss.

 _Arizona_

It doesn't look like she's finished with me yet. She brings my body around so that I am sitting on top, legs apart and straddling her. One of her arms snakes around my hips and the fingers on her other hand begin to tease my clit again. I gasp as she suddenly plunges two of those fingers deep inside me. My entire body melts into her as she continues to thrust into me, fingers hooked, making sure she's hitting my G-spot every time. I drape my arms around her neck and lean my forehead against hers.

 _Amelia_

I watch as her body rises and falls in time with my movements. She is a goddess. As she gets closer and closer to her second release, my fingers entwine in the hair at the nape of her neck and I tug her head back. Her orgasm face is incredible. I feel muscles spasm, and a gush of liquid start trickle down my arm. I let her body relax into mine, foreheads back together, eyes closed. She needs to get her breath back, and I need mine back, too.

My body is more than ready for her; every nerve is standing on end and my center is completely drenched.

When she opens her eyes, her lips curl into an alluring smile. She leans down and kisses my neck, before pushing me down onto the sofa and enticingly whispering: "Your turn."


	15. Part 15

_Arizona_

Hours later, we collapse onto Amelia's bed, sheets scattered around us. My leg is off now; it started to get a little uncomfortable with all the throwing around of each other that we were doing. So, when we finally got to the bed, I took it off. And, to my relief, it didn't phase her. Like, not at all. She treated me no differently. She just continued to fuck my brains out. And, it was amazing.

I turn to look at her now, trying to catch her breath, a light sheen covering her body. She is dazzling. The 'freshly fucked' look is spectacular on her.

"So... you've definitely done that before," I say, smirking. I knew she was never 100% straight. She lies on her side to face me, smirking back.

"Maybe a few times... okay, a lot of times... in college," she admits. "Never since graduating though... I was kind of nervous."

"Well... you did great," I say, playfully.

"Yeah, I kind of gathered that, listening to the sounds coming out of your mouth."

 _Amelia_

She bites her lip and I want to jump her immediately. She's unbelievably sexy, especially right now. She holds my gaze before kissing me, tenderly. As the kiss ends, we smile at each other and she nestles down into my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her, keeping her close as we both drift off to sleep.

...

Morning rolls around, and the smell of Arizona's lingering perfume fills my nose. It's wonderful. Somehow she has turned over in the night so that her back is turned to me. I nuzzle my face into the back of her neck, trying to fight off the light that's infiltrating through my windows. I just want to stay like this all day. She begins to stir and it makes me groan.

"Good morning," she whispers, sweetly. I feel her lips press against mine and I, reluctantly, open my eyes. I'm rewarded with the sight of Dr Dimples smiling back at me. It's enough to wake me. I lean over her and kiss her over and over again. This is definitely my new favourite thing; kissing Arizona Robbins. Well, almost my favourite thing...

"What are your plans for today?" She asks when I stop, bringing my mind back out of the gutter.

"Hmm, well, I have to be in work in..." I check the clock on my cell. "About two and a half hours," I groan. She smiles at me again, making everything seem a little less bleak.

"Let me take you for breakfast," she says, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ear.

...

We stop at a café that's a stone's throw away from the hospital. Bacon, eggs and coffee with a side of Arizona is the perfect way to start any day.

I'm am absolutely exhausted. I think I've had about four hours sleep. But, my God, was it worth it!

"So, what are you doing after breakfast?" I ask, after swallowing a mouthful of bacon and egg. In the past few minutes, she's gone a little quiet. She's not really eating, just moving food around with her fork.

"I think Meredith wants us to take Zola and Sofia to the aquarium," she says, quietly.

"Well, that's just not fair. You get to have a super fun day and I'm stuck in work." She gives me a smile, but her heart's not in it. She looks kind of sad. "Is everything okay?" I ask, genuinely worried. I wonder if she's still anxious about being out in public.

"Yeah, about last night..." She trails off and I feel a knot in my stomach. Oh, God. Does she regret last night? "Was that... Did you..." She's struggling to get her words out. She sighs and puts her fork down, looking into my eyes. "You said you hadn't been with a woman since college."

"Yeah...?" I'm not sure where she's taking this conversation.

"So... for you..." Her eyes start to dart about, looking for anything apart from my face. "Last night... was that just... for fun, or... do you want to... maybe... go out... again... with me?" God, that took a while for her to get out. My whole body relaxes and I reach out to grab her hand.

"Arizona," I grab her attention, making her look at me again. "Are you asking me out on a second date?" She shrugs, shyly.

"If... If you want to," she looks at me, hopefully. Yep... definitely can't say 'no' to that face. Plus, who in their right mind wouldn't want a second date with Arizona?!

"Hmm, I'm going to have to think about that one..." I say teasingly, mirroring her words from earlier in the week. She playfully swats my hand, demanding a straight answer from me. "I would love a second date with you, Arizona Robbins." Her eyes light up and she beams at me.

...

 _Arizona_

Despite my lack of sleep, I am in the best mood I've been in for weeks. It's not hard to determine why... Amelia Shepherd: The brilliant and beautiful surgeon I woke up with this morning.

"Did you see Amelia at all last night?" Meredith asks. We're in the aquarium and the girls are just in front of us, discussing in depth how to pronounce the word 'anemone'.

"Oh... I- uh... Why?" I manage to splutter out. I don't know if she wants anyone to know yet, but keeping it quiet is going to be tricky.

"Nothing serious," she reassures me. "I just rang her a few times to talk but she didn't answer her cell. She's usually got it glued to her hand. I hope she's okay."

"She... she's in work this morning... I saw her," I say. Come on, Arizona. Get it together! She's going to know something's up.

"Oh... okay," Meredith says, satisfied with the vague response. "As long as she's okay." We walk towards the underwater dome section of the aquarium, the girls extra excited about seeing sharks. "So, when are you coming back to work?"

"Soon, hopefully," I sigh out. "Does everything look like it's running smoothly in the center?"

"As smoothly as it can without Arizona Robbins," Meredith says, giving me a knowing smile. When it comes to work, Meredith Grey and I are of a similar ilk. We're efficient and organised and passionate. "Karev's taken a lot of the responsibility on," she continues. "He wanted to make sure it was running the way you wanted it; that students were being taught in the Arizona Robbins way." Alex Karev is one of the best men I know. Period. "And, of course, I completely agreed, because look how far your methods got Alex."

"Alex was tricky..." I smile at her, but I don't want to take all the credit. "But, he worked damn hard to get where he is now. He's always had a good heart."

We continue walking along, happily talking about work.

 _Meredith_

We're onto the rock pools section of the aquarium now and Zola and Sofia are gently holding a couple of sea stars. Arizona is sitting with them, giving them all kinds of sea star facts and the kids are listening intently. If she wasn't such a brilliant surgeon, she'd have made a fantastic teacher. Arizona's phone buzzes in her bag. I pretend not to see Amelia's name pop up on the screen. My eyes dart from the phone to Arizona who picks it up and reads the message. A huge grin spreads across her face and she quickly types a message back before slipping it back into her bag, thinking it's gone unnoticed.

They are totally fucking.


	16. Part 16

_Arizona_

I've just finished my first session with Dr Foster, one of our psych doctors. The _best_ of our psych doctors, Alex assures me. It was... invasive. I felt like I had to talk about myself even when I didn't want to. But, I feel like she's helped me a little already. We've identified some goals and some obstacles and she's agreed to give me a recommendation for my 'return to work' process... As long as I continue the sessions for twelve weeks. Twelve sessions is a lot of time to talk about myself. I don't know how it's going to work out. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Proudly, I skip into Karev's office and place the piece of paper on his desk - my ticket back in.

"Arizona, what is this?" He looks at me with raised eyebrows.

"It's a recommendation from the woman _you_ called the best psychiatric doctor in the hospital," I tell him, putting on my most charming smile. "It's there in black and white. I'm allowed to come back. Well... as long as I go to 12 more sessions whilst I'm working."

As he reads silently, his mouth curls to a smile on one side before turning serious again. "And, you're sure about this?" He asks, concerned. "It has only been 4 weeks..."

"I am more than ready to be back in that center," I say, determined. "The tiny humans need me, Chief. So do the students."

"You're damn right they do," he pulls me into an unexpected hug. This is rare. Like, super rare. It takes me a few seconds to hug back. "I'll see you on Monday."

On my way out of the hospital, I bump into a very tired Amelia. Her eyes are glued to the floor, her hands inside the pockets of her coat and her loose hair tucked behind her ears. The lack of scrubs or lab coat suggest she's on her way home. I run a little to catch up with her and gently take her arm in my hand.

"Hey," I say, quietly.

 _Amelia_

At the end of a gruelling 16-hour night shift, this is exactly the face I need to see. She lifts my energy levels and my mood immediately. She's just great. We've been dating for a few weeks now, and I learn something fascinating about this woman every time we go out. Plus, the sex is earth-shattering.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, surprised. I stop walking and turn to look at her.

"You not pleased to see me?" She asks, playfully.

"I'd be more pleased if you'd brought coffee," I state, drily. My eyelids feel so heavy. She smiles at me, knowing those dimples are my weakness.

"It was my first session with Dr Foster today," she says.

"Oh, my God," I curse at myself. How could I forget this? "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot. How did it go?"

"It was fine actually," she says, honestly. "Intense... but not as bad as what I was expecting. And, guess who's coming back to work on Monday?"

 _Callie_

I didn't know Arizona was here. I see her standing near the exit talking comfortably with Amelia. Even though I'm about 20 yards down the corridor, her flirtatious laugh fills my ears. There's also a lot of subtle touching.

Then, she gives her the look. A gentle smirk as she bites her lip, accompanied by wide blue eyes. I've seen that look before. Those are her bedroom eyes. I've never had to see her look at anybody else like that before. I wonder if her and Shepherd are a thing. Have they slept together? Have they been on a date? Are they dating? Are they girlfriends?! Or, am I just being completely paranoid? She loops one of her arms through Amelia's and they exit the building together. It makes my stomach flip. This must be what Arizona felt like when she met Penny at Meredith's dinner. No wonder she got so drunk.

'Don't ever leave,' she told me. I remember it as clear as day. It was years ago, just after she'd had to tell her lifelong friend Nick that he was going to die from some seriously aggressive cancer. We were outside the hospital and she was crying. I promised her it would never happen. I promised I would never leave. And, I believed it myself.

But, I did. I left. Over and over again. Now I realise that those were my stupidest decisions. I was selfish and pig-headed, and now I've got what I deserve. She's cut me out of her life. Not entirely, of course. She's civil with me for Sofia's sake. 'Sofia deserves two happy moms,' she told me. She did so much to make that work; to allow me happiness with a new woman. Yet, I did nothing in return.

Penny and I didn't last six months in New York. It was a stupid move, one that I regret. I took my daughter away from her stable life in Seattle and had her living in a confused state for a year and a half. Again, it was Arizona who made life normal for her, gave her routine and a safe space whilst I was searching for our ideal home. I never found it.

My phone vibrates aggressively, bringing me out of my thoughts. Caller ID doesn't recognise the phone number but I answer it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Callie?" A familiar voice comes out. A voice I haven't heard for a while.

"Penny?"

Speak of the devil...

...

 _Arizona_

Amelia wouldn't let me get a taxi back from the hospital. She insisted on driving me home and making sure I was safe. She acts tough, but she's actually a big softy at heart.

We're lying down, snuggled up on the couch and watching trash TV. My leg rests over both of hers, and her head nestles into the crook of my neck. We're under my favourite cosy blanket. One of my hands is lazily stroking her hair and she's nearly asleep... Until my phone rings out loudly and makes her whole body jump. It shouldn't, but her confused face make me laugh a little.

"Sorry," I say, giving her my best smile and kissing her forehead. She simply groans and nuzzles back into my neck. I answer the phone, nonchalantly.

"Hello?"

 _Amelia_

I feel Arizona's hand squeeze my shoulder. She motions for us to sit up and we do. Her face changes as she listens to the deep voice on the other end of the phone. She looks... frightened; like a deer caught in the headlights. I forget about how tired I am and give her all of my attention, watching her as she completes the phone call.

"Uh... Yeah... Okay... Thank you for letting me know," she says, groggily. She looks utterly lost. "Okay... Bye."

She hangs up the phone and her eyes begin to shimmer. Her brows are furrowed and her mouth hangs open slightly in disbelief.

"Hey... what's wrong?" I ask, taking both of her hands in mine. It takes a few seconds for her to reply.

"He's pleaded 'not guilty'," she chokes out. "January 3rd... I have to go to court."


	17. Part 17

_Arizona_  
My first day back at work was eventful, to say the least. The Maternal Mortality Prevention Program is in full swing and the students are showing good progress. They seem to know my cart inside out and understand its importance. I've got a decent group. Their attitudes are positive and they take lessons and observations seriously. Some even offer to help after hours. However, there does seem to be only 75% of them here... Alex must have weeded out the weak ones in my absence. I trust his judgement, so I'm fine with it.

The students observed me perform two foetal surgeries today; both treating spina bifida. Both cases were complicated in different ways, but both surgeries were successful. Healthy babies and happy parents are what makes my job all worth while.

Now, I'm walking out of the Robbins-Herman Center part of the hospital and into the paediatric ward. Paeds is such a magical profession. These sweet tiny humans full of hope and promise give you life even on your toughest of days. I miss it. I really do. But, I'm seeing such an impact by researching into foetal surgery that I couldn't possibly go back to it now.

As I wait for the elevator at the end of the corridor, I feel somebody next to me. I turn my head to look at her.

"Can we talk?" Callie says, seriously. Oh, God, this doesn't sound good.

"Is everything ok? Is Sofia alright?" I ask, worriedly.

 _Callie_  
The mention of our daughter creates a tension in my stomach. I hate that we're not a family anymore.

"Yeah, she's fine," I answer, quickly. "I actually wanted to talk about James Blake."

This takes her aback. I can see the anguish in her eyes for a split-second before she puts on a brave face.

"What about him?" She asks, casually.

"Can we go somewhere quieter?" I whisper. This really isn't a conversation I want to have at work. We get into the elevator, which is, thankfully, empty. She selects the ground floor and presses '2' for me.

"No, Callie. If you know anything about this guy, I need to know now!" She's determined. She's going to court and she needs all the information she can get her hands on. I open my mouth to try and tell her, but the information doesn't come out. We hear the elevator ding and the doors open on my floor to reveal Amelia Shepherd. Her eyes dart between Arizona and I.

"I'll talk to you later," I say before rushing past Shepherd.

 _Arizona_  
"Callie!" I shout after her but she ignores me. I stop in my tracks and groan. Why won't she tell me what she knows?

"Um... Everything okay?"

I spin around to face Amelia. I can't read her expression. Her features remain neutral.

"Callie was about to tell me something about Blake and then she totally freaked out on me," I say, releasing my frustration. "Are you alright?" I ask, genuinely interested to hear about her day.

She takes my hand, and drags me back into the elevator. She doesn't even wait for the doors to fully close before she pushes me against the back mirror and kisses me assertively. It takes me a second to react, but I've decided I'm really into elevator make out sessions with Amelia. When we hear the elevator ding once more, she pulls back and faces the doors. I try to quickly straighten my hair out. Then, I look up to see who's joining us. It's Owen. As if this couldn't get any more awkward. He nods at both of us before he speaks.

"You look a little flushed, Robbins." He says as he gets onto the elevator.

Oh, fuck. Is he onto us?

 _Amelia_  
He's totally playing her! I told him about Arizona and I a few days ago. He is my best friend, after all. It's funny to see this side of Owen. He's usually so serious, but every so often he shows a quirky side. We smirk at each other as we listen to Arizona stumble over her words.

"What? I.. uh... um... I've had a busy day," she tries at the end. I can't let her worry about it anymore. I nudge her with my elbow and give her a playful smile.

"He knows," I say, making her mouth hang open slightly in shock.

"You told him? I thought we weren't telling people yet!" That is the cutest pout I've ever seen.

"Oh? You're telling me Kepner doesn't already know?" I ask raising my eyebrow. Arizona still talks to April every other day and there's no way she hasn't mentioned this to her best friend.

"Well... I mean... she practically dragged it out of me! It has been a month..." She says, trying to find excuses.

"How was your first day back, Robbins?" Owen asks, changing the subject. The elevator dings again as we reach the ground floor and we all exit together, continuing casual conversation.

...

 _Callie_  
It's been two hours since I fled from Arizona in the hospital, and up until now I've managed to avoid her phone calls. I've finally plucked up the courage to answer one. The woman has a strong mind. She wants answers now. I sit on my couch with a glass of wine before pressing the green icon on my cell screen.

"Hello?" I say, trying to sound relaxed.

"Don't you 'hello' me... what the hell is going on?" Yep, she's pissed. Ugh, she's so cute when she's pissed. She tries so hard to be fearsome, but it just comes off as impish.

"I'm sorry," I say, earnestly. She's silent. I think my apology has surprised her. Those words rarely leave my mouth. "I wanted to tell you about Blake in the hospital, but it felt... inappropriate." I can't find the right words, but 'inappropriate' will do.

"Callie, what is it you need to tell me?" She says, barely above a whisper. I wish I could tell her in person. I wish I could hold her and make her feel safe as I deliver the information.

"He found you because of me, Arizona," I finally admit. "I guess we kind of saw this coming, but I just needed you to know." I take a deep breath before I continue. "We had dinner with him once. He asked about my ex-wife and I told him about you. He seemed impressed when he heard your name. He's a doctor, too. I think he mentioned being at a conference or something where you were a speaker." I shake my head. I'm getting too bogged down with the details. "Anyway, when he realised he had a way into your life, he just... He became obsessed with you." I put my wine glass down and rub my forehead. I feel a migraine coming on. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told him anything about you."

"You weren't to know he'd... be like this," she says, quietly. I hear her sigh out and grit my teeth in frustration. "I get why you didn't want to speak about this at the hospital."

"There's something else," I say, quickly. It needs to come out now, otherwise it's going to stay inside. "Penny's coming back to support her brother in court."


	18. Part 18

_Arizona_  
Two days until Christmas. The ER is always busy this time of year. Because my center's a part of Grey Sloan now, I can scrub in to help when times get busy. Some weird shit happens around Christmas time. This morning, I've made good use of the extra students my surgeries have brought in and guided some of them into removing a peanut from a child's nose, treating second-degree burns caused by pre-Christmas panic-cooking and stitching up a wound caused by an out-of-hand sibling argument. As I head towards a monitor to complete some paperwork, I bump into Owen. He has his scrub cap on and is staring intently at the OR schedule board.

"Hey, how's it going?" I ask quickly, before hiding behind a monitor.

"Just trying to move some OR time around," he says. He erases some surgery details and replaces them with new ones before continuing conversation. "How's the ER?"

"Busy," I confirm but don't go into too much detail. I know he's just making small talk. "The kids excited for Christmas?" I change the subject, not taking my eyes off the screen.

"Betty seems a little... antsy," he says, voice full of concern. "I guess it's understandable..." He drifts off and focuses on something else. "Leo hasn't got a clue what's going on," he laughs. "But, he likes the lights and all the holiday chocolate. What about Sofia?"

"Yeah, she can't wait!" I say, enthusiastically. Then there's a pause. I feel guilty about the whole Amelia situation. Owen has always been so kind to me and now I'm seeing his ex-wife. I feel a little like a traitor. I've got to say something. "Owen," I demand his attention. "I just want you to know... It wasn't intentional," I say. He looks kind of confused. "With Amelia, I mean. We just... sort of... happened." My eyes dart to the floor "And, I know... I know she's your ex-wife... and you're my friend. You're a good friend. But, I couldn't... I never would have..."

"Arizona, relax," he grabs my shoulders and looks at me with kind eyes. "I'm not mad. Actually, I'm the opposite of mad. I'm really happy for you both. You guys make more sense than her and I ever did." I could cry with relief. The man is a saint. "Plus, with Teddy and the baby... I've never been happier. I'm glad you're happy together, too."

...

 _Amelia_  
It's been all hands on deck in the ER today... And, what have I been doing? Constantly looking for Arizona. She is the biggest workplace distraction. Fortunately, we're on the same shift today, so I get to spend a bit of time with her this evening.

It's 6pm and I've just finished patching up a pretty nasty gash from a tree-climbing accident. As I walk out of the hospital, I see the back of Arizona's head. She's sitting on one of the benches, waiting for me. It's pitch-black now and she huddles close to the end of the bench next to the streetlight, making sure she's completely lit up and in sight of everyone in the hospital. I hope she's not feeling too anxious. I walk up to her and gently place my hand on her shoulder. Her entire body tenses, but she quickly relaxes when she sees me.

"You ready to go?" I ask quietly. She stands up to face me, giving me her best smile. The urge to kiss her is overwhelming. I can't wait until this is all out in the open and I can kiss whenever and wherever I want.

"That depends... where are we going?"

...

"I've never been up here at night..." she says mesmerised by the view. We're at the top of the Space Needle, side-by-side staring out of one of the gigantic windows. "It's incredible," she breathes out. "You always take me places with great views."

"Well, you always provide me with a great view," I say, wrapping my arms around her waist. "I just feel like I need to return the favour."

"Ugh... what a line," she says, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Is it working?" I ask, hopefully.

"Mmm... maybe," she says, before lightly touching my lips with hers.

...

We're in the revolving restaurant now talking at ease about anything and everything. I'm desperate to ask what her Christmas plans are, but I don't want to seem too eager. Is it too soon to be spending some time together on Christmas day? We've only been dating for six weeks... The thought of not seeing her at all makes me feel sort of downhearted. Am I being too clingy?

"What are you doing Christmas day?" I ask, nonchalantly, hoping there's an opportunity to spend some time together.

"Well... I get all my favourite parts of Christmas with Sofia," she says, a little smugly. "She stays with me tomorrow night right the way through Christmas dinner and then Callie picks her up for Christmas evening."

"So, you're Santa for the night," I smirk. "And, what are your evening plans?" Keep it casual, Amelia. Calm and collected.

"Oh... uh, I don't actually have any. I guess I didn't think that far ahead," she says. "I'll probably just be drowning myself in cheese and wine before falling asleep watching 'The Grinch' or something."

It's now or never, Amelia. Invite her round. Do it! Do it, now!

"Wanna do that at my house?" I ask, again trying to appear laid-back about the whole situation. I glance at her quickly to try and gauge her reaction before turning my attention back to my food. Oh, God. That's a long pause.

"Are you sure?" She asks. I look up at her again to see excited eyes and I can't help but smile.

"Sure, why not?" I'm doing a really good job at this whole 'cool' act I'm putting on. "It's obviously not a good idea for me to partake in the wine side of things, but I'd never pass up a cheese board." I say, playfully. Come on, Amy. Stop with the pretences. Just tell her. Just tell her. "Plus... I..." Ugh. I hate being truthful with my feelings. Feeling vulnerable is the worst. But, with Arizona, I want to be. If this relationship's going to go any further, like I want it to, I want it to start on a solid foundation. "I... I'd really like to see you on Christmas day," I say, taking one of her slender hands in mine. "I know we've only been dating for six weeks but... you're quite quickly becoming one of my special people." And, there it is. It's out there in the open. I'm a total sucker for this woman, and now she knows it.

"I am?" She asks, wide-eyed and innocent.

"You are," I confirm with a smile.

She bites her lip, trying to suppress the goofy smile that's about to spread across her face. Suddenly, she's up out of her seat and slides into my side of the booth, planting a breathtaking kiss on my lips. It's the kind of kiss that doesn't need any words to explain its intentions. As she breaks it, she looks at me with those beautiful eyes in a way that lets me know I'm becoming one of her special people, too.


	19. Part 19

_Arizona_

"Mommy! He's been! He's been!" Sofia's little voice makes me sit bolt upright in bed.

"What? Who?" Though I'm ready to fend off any potential threat, my eyes are still shut tight. I feel like I'm going to need matchsticks to hold them open. What ungodly hour is this?

"Santa! He's been! He brought me some gifts!" Oh, thank God for that. I rub my eyes open and plump up my pillows, leaning back into them. She jumps onto my bed with the full stocking that was perched at the end of her own bed moments ago. She snuggles into me as she takes out the first gift. She's extra cosy in her little Rudolph onesie.

"What do you think it is, Mommy?" She asks so innocently that I could burst with love. I take the gift from her hands and give it a little shake before handing it back to her.

"Hmm... definitely coal," I joke. She giggles at my weak attempt at tired humour. Quickly, she tears off the paper and her eyes start to sparkle with excitement when she reveals the stuffed toy unicorn. She hugs it tight before placing it down gently and unwrapping her other stocking gifts.

...

"Mommy, there's more under the tree! Look!" Sofia runs to the gifts I'd finished wrapping about 4 hours ago. It's 5:36am. I've thought about telling her to go back to bed several times, but she's so excited. I just haven't got the heart to tell her it's too early. "I am the luckiest girl in the world!"

Now, I am beaming with pride. Being comfortable with money, I've always tried to make sure that Sofia will never want for anything. I understand that this can 'spoil' some kids, but Sofia is just grateful for everything she has. What makes me even more proud is that her favourite presents every year, without fail, always turn out to be books. She's smart and grateful and has an imagination that could rival J K Rowling's.

...

Hours later and we're stuffed full of roast ham and beef Wellington. Feeling sleepy, Sofia is curled up next to me on the couch and we're watching Elf. I've had the best morning with my little girl. I don't want it to end. Soon, I'll have to drop her off at Callie's. My phone vibrates loudly for the hundredth time today. Damn Christmas notifications. However, my mood changes when I see Amelia's name amongst the sea of well wishes on my cell.

 _Merry Christmas! How's your morning been?_

I immediately reply: _Really good. Got one happy Sofia. How was yours?_

It's not long before I receive another: _Leo's had me up since 5 so you can imagine my mood. I can't wait to see you later, beautiful._

Oh, my God. I'm blushing at words on a screen. What is wrong with me? Get a grip, Arizona. Reply with something cool.

 _You, too. x_

I'm not even sure that made sense, but it'll do.

...

I'm standing outside Callie's place, saying goodbye to my daughter, and doing a few last minute checks, making sure she's brought all of her essentials. The door opens as I'm stuffing her new unicorn toy into her overnight bag. Sofia runs a couple of paces to her mama and squeezes her tight.

"Merry Christmas, Mama!" Sofia says, excitedly.

"Merry Christmas, Little Goose," Callie mirrors back the excitement. "And, Merry Christmas to you," she says, turning her attention to me. "Would you like to come in for a drink before you go?"

"Oh, I shouldn't... I have plans. Thank you, though!" I say, smiling a little awkwardly. At these words, Sofia envelopes me in a massive hug and I hear a little whimper escape her throat.

"Oh, hey, hey... what's wrong?" I say, quietly, crouching down and wiping her tears away.

"I want you to stay," she says her eyes still glimmering. These drop offs aren't usually this hard for her. She must be feeling a little overwhelmed with all the excitement.

"I can't, honey," I say, gently. "You're going to have a great time with Mama."

"I know... I'm just going to miss you," she says, burying her head into my shoulder. God, this is horrible. My heart feels as though it's been shattered and my own eyes are filling up. I squeeze her tight before Callie crouches down too, beginning to coax her in.

"Hey, you know the good thing about having two houses at Christmas, right?" Callie begins. Sofia's curiosity gets the better of her and she lifts her head to look at her mama. "Santa visits twice. And, it also means two Christmas dinners," she says, wiggling her eyebrows a little, making Sofia laugh. "It also means twice the amount of cuddles!" She scoops up Sofia and tickles her ribs, making that sweet giggle come out. When she's back on the ground, Sofia gives me one last giant hug and runs into the house to find her gifts. With my little girl now back to being her usual happy self, I feel much better about leaving.

"Thanks for the pictures this morning," Callie says, now we're alone. "She looked so excited."

"I mean, I'm less than thrilled about the 14ft trampoline that now takes up a third of my garden," I joke. Callie laughs before pulling me into an unexpected hug.

"Thank you for being such a good mommy to her," she whispers.

"Yeah.. you, too," I whisper back, before ending the embrace. "Merry Christmas, Callie."

"Merry Christmas, Arizona," she says, sounding kind of downhearted but smiles at me anyway.

As I turn to leave, I feel her gaze linger on me. It's awkward. Very awkward. I get into my car and strap up before looking back to her still standing in the doorway. I smile and wave a little and she does the same back. I feel a sense of relief wash over me as I drive away.

Now, to focus on something entirely different; Amelia Shepherd. I've got a nice little Christmas surprise for her.

...

 _Amelia_

Betty and Leo have gone to Owen's, and I'm sat in the living room relaxing with a glass of sparkling pressé when I hear the doorbell go. It's the sound I've been waiting for all day. It's the sound that means Dr Sweetheart has arrived.

I open the door and the butterflies in my stomach start to go crazy. Arizona Robbins stands there with gently curled hair resting behind her shoulders and her sparkling blue eyes full of excitement. The trench coat she's wearing stops just past her knees to reveal bare legs. She must be freezing. She holds a bottle of alcohol-free prosecco in one hand and a gift box in the other.

"Merry Christmas," she says with a toothy smile. Oh, those dimples. I can't help but smile back.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," I say, ushering her inside. She places the bottle and box on the table to the side as she starts to unbutton her coat. "How was the drive?" I ask as she unbuttons her coat.

"Fine," she says plainly, with a crooked smile lingering on her face and a mischievous gleam in her eye. What is she up to? "Arizona, what..." Suddenly, I realise... She's standing in front of me, coat unbuttoned, wearing only red, lacy lingerie and stilettos. My mouth slings open as I take the sight in. She lets the coat fall to the floor and steps closer to me, taking my face in her hands and planting a long kiss on my lips. As she breaks it, I try to get my breath back and calm my racing heart. "Surprised?" she asks, quietly. I open my mouth to respond but it's replaced by another voice.

"Amy, how long have these things been in the oven?" I hear Mer shout from the kitchen. Arizona's eyes go wide before she scrambles for her coat. She doesn't manage to do up the buttons before Meredith bursts into the hallway so just wraps the coat around herself, holding it close to her body.

"Oh, hey, Arizona!" She says, cheerfully, completely oblivious to what she has just interrupted. "Merry Christmas," she says before going in for a hug. Arizona uses her free arm to reciprocate best she can.

"M-Merry Christmas, Meredith," she says, completely flustered.

"Food's about to come out of the oven, and we've got a glass of red waiting for you. We've got the fire going in the living room, but I'm gonna need to ask you to put some clothes on first, my kids are in there." She says, casually. We both stare at her mouths gaping open in shock. She laughs and turns to head back into the kitchen. "Trench coat and underwear... oldest trick in the book, ladies!"

When she's out of earshot, Arizona turns to me, shock still all over her face. I bite my lip before speaking.

"I forgot to tell you Mer was coming, didn't I?"

"Yep, failed to mention that little detail!" She says, hectically. We look at each other for a few moments before we both burst into laughter. I rush her back into another kiss before giving her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry," I put my arms around her and pull her close to me. "Let me make it up to you, later?" I say, pulling out my bedroom eyes.

"Hmm... okay," she says with a mock expression of annoyance. She kisses me one more time before resting her forehead against mine.

"I'm gonna need to borrow some clothes..."

...

All three of Meredith's kids have fallen asleep on the couch. That photo is going to make a cute Christmas card next year! We've been sat around the kitchen island now for about an hour, just laughing and talking.

"And, just like that... it's all over," Meredith says glancing at her watch. It's officially 12:01am. "Happy day-after-Christmas, guys!" Meredith says as she raises her glass of Merlot. Arizona mirrors her action and we smile at each other.

"So, how long have you guys been..." she gestures sloppily between Arizona and I. "Y'know... whatever this is?"

"Not long," I say, bluntly. "And, we're not telling people yet, so try and keep it quiet!"

"Oh, please! _You_ try and keep it quiet!" She says in a tipsy manner, with a gentle smile. "You guys are so obviously a thing," she states before taking another sip. "I think it's great," she says, earnestly. Like she's had a moment of clarity. And, there's a happy, comfortable moment of silence. "So, when's the wedding?"

"Aaaand, that's enough wine for you!" I say, taking the glass out of her hand. She's laughing at Arizona's 'deer-caught-in-headlights' face.


	20. Part 20

_Arizona_  
I'm still in bed when my doorbell rings out violently. I get up out of bed, quickly attaching my leg and wrapping a dressing gown around myself. I look at Amelia who's still sleeping peacefully and place a gentle kiss on her forehead. The bell rings out again. How is that not waking her up?

I make my way down the stairs and the bell rings again. Whoever this is, they need to learn some patience.

"Coming!" I shout as I'm half-way down the stairs. The bell rings again. And, again. And, again. Okay, now they're starting to piss me off.

"HEY! What the hell are you-" My words stop as I reveal the person behind the door.

It's my attacker: James Blake.

He's standing tall; proud. His shadow heavily draping over me. There's not a scrap of remorse in him. In one hand, he holds a needle full to the brim with an unidentifiable liquid. In the other, he holds a camera. He looks me dead in the eye as he smirks and utters the words: "Not guilty."

...

 _Amelia_  
I feel the body next to me jolt violently. My eyes flutter open to see Arizona, still asleep, but wearing a completely distressed expression. I pull her closer to me and hold her tight, trying to ease any worry happening inside her mind. The nightmares are quite frequent and they're getting worse as we get closer to the trial date. Suddenly, her eyes are open and she takes in a sharp breath. She tries to struggle out of my embrace. "NO, STOP," she yells, starting to lash out, hitting me weakly in the chest in her half-asleep state.

"Arizona... it's okay, it's me..." I hold on tighter, but speak calmly. "It's me. You're okay. You're safe."

It takes a few moments for her to register what I'm saying. I can pinpoint the exact moment she realises it's me because her features completely soften and her face is full of concern instead panic.

"A-Amelia?" She whispers. I nod and stroke her cheek.

"Just a bad dream, baby," Ew. 'Baby'? Who am I?

"Are you okay?" She asks, her eyes and fingertips scanning the area she was just thumping.

"Hey, I'm fine," I say, tucking some strands of hair behind her ear. "Are you okay?"

She doesn't answer me but sits up in bed, pulling the sheets close to her. She uses her free hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "Fuck... I'm sorry."

I sit up next to her and rub her bare back, hoping this will comfort her. "You don't need to be sorry," I say, gently. And, I mean it. She genuinely didn't hurt me.

"What time is it?" She asks out of the blue.

"Uhh..." I glance over at the clock on my bedside table. "It's 4:30." I hear her sigh out and she nestles into my shoulder. As she does, my arms automatically wrap around her. I bring both of our bodies back down to a laying position, keeping her close to me the whole time.

"I can't stop thinking about the trial," she admits. "I'm sorry, this kind of brings a downer on the festivities. Probably not how you imagined spending the day after Christmas."

"Arizona, please stop apologising," I say, rubbing up and down her arm. "This isn't your fault." She doesn't say anything in response, but clings around my rib cage. I feel an intense urge to take her mind of the trial. "Hey... What are you doing during Christmas limbo?" There's a pause.

"Christmas limbo?" She asks, finally.

"Yeah... you know... that weird time between Christmas and New Year's when no one really knows what day it is or what time it is, or even what to do with themselves. Christmas limbo." I think I've confused her enough to take her mind off it a little.

"Errr... my parents are coming to visit," she says. "I'm kind of worried they're going to know something's off."

"You haven't told them about the trial?" I ask. She shakes her head. I go to say something... to tell her off for keeping her parents in the dark. But, I stop myself. I'm not here to judge. This is her choice. "Is there anything I can do to help?" I ask instead.

"Yeah, just... if you see them... don't mention it, please," she pleads with me. "I played it down... A LOT. As far as they're concerned, it was a minor assault and everything's been dealt with."

"Okay," I whisper, before placing a kiss on her forehead, telling her non-verbally that I will do anything to make this whole thing easier for her. Suddenly, I remember something. "Oh... I didn't give you your gift!" I get out of bed and feel Arizona's eyes follow my naked body across the room.

"Last night wasn't my gift?" She quips. I'm so relieved to hear a little bit of a spark in her voice.

"Well... you know me. I'm very... _giving_." Great innuendo, Amelia. Bravo. Idiot. "Here," I hand her the box as I get back into bed. "It's nothing spectacular..." I say, bashfully. Jeez, what is wrong with me? I watch her as she opens it, really hoping she likes it. It really is nothing spectacular. It's a very plain, silver necklace with an anchor dangling at the bottom. She smiles at the necklace and then looks at me. "To remind you of the sea..." I say, my eyes looking to settle anywhere but her face. Why do I feel so embarrassed?

She doesn't say anything. She puts the box on the bedside table and pulls me into a fierce kiss. Soon, our naked bodies mould back into one another, as they had done a few hours ago, and the kiss is deepened. We break only to get air back into our lungs. I think she likes her gift.

"So, jewellery's the way to get you into bed then?" I joke.

"Amelia, I was already in your bed," she rolls her eyes at me. "Plus, that's not why I'm kissing you and you know it," she fires back, playfully. I feel her smile into our next kiss and I'm in total bliss.

...

 _Arizona_  
My parents' visit came and went in a total blur. Obviously, most of the time was spent taking Sofia on various outings together, so they didn't have much time to question me about the assault, although, Mom did mention the scar. The one across my forehead isn't too deep and can be covered easily with make-up, but the one on my cheek is stubborn and won't be silenced. It screams 'victim' at me every time I look in the mirror.

Having waved goodbye to my parents at the airport and having dropped Sofia off with Callie, I find myself alone again. The silence is really unsettling. I pick up my phone to call Amelia and notice a text from Karev.

 _Impromptu house party at ours tonight. BYOB. Alex._

I smirk at his blunt message, before phoning Amelia.

"Hello, stranger," she answers. "I've missed you."

"Hey... I've missed you, too," I say, blushing. Thank God she can't see me right now, I'd never hear the end of it. "Are you going to Alex's tonight?"

"I mean... I'll go if you go." I already know she's cringing at how High School-y that sounds. "What do you think? You feeling up to it?"

"Yeah, I think I need to. I can't spend the rest of my life avoiding crowded places. Plus, I really want to bring in the New Year with you."

...

 _Amelia_  
Alex and Jo's place is filled with people from the hospital. It's not too loud, or too crowded, but there's a good buzz in the air. Arizona and I are taking up two of the couch spots and talking to Meredith who's pulled up a chair next to us, drinking a glass of something fizzy. I'm on the water, and so is Arizona. Suddenly, it hits me. I've rarely seen the woman drink in front of me. She had a glass of wine at Christmas and maybe something on our first date... but I don't recall any other time. I wonder if that's intentional.

"You not getting a drink?" I ask, curiously.

"What? I- Uh- No, I'm fine with water," she smiles at me.

"Arizona, it's New Year's Eve! You can have a drink in front of me," I reassure her. "It's fine. I'm fine." I say honestly, squeezing her hand. She sighs and looks at me with sympathetic eyes.

"I could really do with a glass of prosecco," she smiles.

"Already poured," Maggie says out of nowhere, handing Arizona a glass before taking a seat next to Meredith. "So, how long have you guys been a thing?" Great! Now Maggie knows?!

"Meredith!" I scold. I feel like a teenager again about to start an argument with an annoying sibling.

"Don't look at me, I didn't tell her!" She says, holding her hands up.

"No one needed to tell me, you two spend every possible moment together. Plus, look at you!" She says, referring to how close together we're sat and the fact the my hand is still covering Arizona's. "You guys are so cute together," she says, a little louder than I think either of us are comfortable with. "Why can't I find that? Not with a woman, obviously. But, with a man. A good man. Where are all the good men?" Okay, she's a little drunk.

"The one I married is alright," Jo says, taking the empty seat next to me on the couch. "What are we talking about?"

"Nothing," I say, quickly, letting go of Arizona's hand and shooting a warning glance at Maggie. Suddenly, the room starts to chant numbers. It's the countdown to midnight.

"Speaking of which, that's my cue to go find him," Jo leaves and stands with Alex, continuing the countdown with him.

"And, that's our cue to go and find anybody!" Maggie says to Meredith, dragging her out of her seat.

"8... 7... 6... " It's getting closer to that time and my palms start to sweat. Are we going to kiss? Are we not going to kiss? Will anyone notice?

"5... 4... 3..." What's the plan? We didn't discuss this! Is she ready for people to know? Am I ready for people to know?

"2... 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Oh, fuck it. I don't care. I'm kissing her.

I lean in and place a gentle kiss on her lips. She wastes no time in kissing me back. The kiss only lasts a few seconds but it stirs something deep within me. It isn't lustful, but tender and caring. It hits a part of me that I didn't know existed. It's euphoric. I feel unstoppable. And, if I wasn't already convinced that this woman is in fact a goddess, I certainly am now.


	21. Part 21

_Amelia_

I'm definitely in Arizona's bed, but something feels different. As I open my eyes, I realise that the difference is caused by Arizona not being in it with me. Where is she? I sit up and look around the room before calling her name. "Arizona?"

"Morning," she smiles at me, walking through the bedroom door with two cups of strong, black coffee. She hands me one and takes a sip of the other.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" I ask, looking at her tired face. I don't know why I bothered, I already know the answer. She shakes her head.

"I couldn't," she says, quietly. "Every time I closed my eyes... I saw him." I reach out and touch the side of her face letting my thumb graze over her cheekbone. She leans into my hand and sighs out. Today is going to be tough for her.

"What can I do?" I ask, eager to help. She smiles at me in return before kissing me lightly on the lips.

"You've already done so much," she says, gratefully. She holds on tight to her coffee cup as she shuffles next to me, snuggling down into my arms. Only now do I understand there's not really anything I can do. I just need to be here with her.

...

I'm sitting on the bed in a black fitted pants suit with rouged sleeves and a white blouse, ready to leave. I'm watching Arizona as she paces up and down the room in the fourth outfit that she's tried on. I hate seeing her so anxious.

"What about this one?" She asks, nervously. She's wearing a plain white dress that stops at the knee with a black blazer.

"You look great," I say, standing up and holding her hands. "You'd look great in a trash bag, but the outfit is really lovely." I'm trying to lighten the mood but I don't think she's really paying attention. Her face quickly changes, as though she's remembered something important.

"Should I wear pants?"

"What?" Her question confuses me... and then it clicks. One of Blake's charges is about attempted rape. "No... No, you wear the dress!" I say, adamantly. I understand her concern, of course. Victim-shaming is at an all time high. Now it's affecting the strong woman in front of me, and I can't help but feel pissed. "You know why you wear the dress? Because you look damn good in the dress!" I tell her, truthfully. I bring my hands to her face and look at her intensely, making sure she's taking all of this in. "You look smart, and professional, and beautiful. You wear what you damn well please!"

With that said, I pull her into an embrace and hold her tightly. The idea that she could even think that what she's wearing could be seen as inappropriate in a court of law makes me feel sick to my stomach. The fact is, rapists have used this against survivors before. 'She was asking for it', 'She led me on', 'What was she expecting wearing a dress like that?' For Arizona to think, even for a second, that she had some control over what happened completely breaks my heart.

...

 _Arizona_

Amelia managed to get me inside the building, but I'm really not sure if I can manage the courtroom. No, come on. Pull yourself together, Arizona.

"You ready?" I hear my lawyer's voice from down the hallway and turn to face her. She strolls towards us, coffee cup in hand and full of confidence. She's pretty badass, but also kind of late.

"Oh, look who decided to show up," I quip.

"Please, Arizona, we've got this one in the bag. No pre-game talks needed. This will take a day, tops." She says in her husky voice. "You ready to be on that stand?" Quinn asks, turning her attention to Amelia.

"I'll see you inside," Amelia says, more so to me rather than her. She squeezes my hand and kisses my cheek before she walks through the big wooden doors.

"And, you?" She asks, now we're alone.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up," I answer, honestly.

...

Of course, James Blake pleaded 'not guilty' to three charges: assault in the first degree, assault with intent to commit rape, and misdemeanour stalking.

"Before we begin showcasing evidence, I must remind you that my client is asking for no money from Dr Blake." Quinn begins the opening statement, talking to the jury members. "And, she has no agenda. She has met this man once. That one time was the night that he attacked her."

"Objection - speculation," Blake's lawyer pipes up. He's a fat, old man; the only lawyer in Seattle that would take the case, my own lawyer assures me.

"Sustained," the judge says. "Allegedly attacked, Miss Mourey." Did Quinn just roll her eyes at him? I hope her cockiness doesn't blow this whole thing up. She continues talking to the jury.

"She has nothing to gain from this experience other than feeling safe in the knowledge that this man is locked behind bars." This time, she turns her attention to the judge. "Not only do I want to ensure that my client feels safe in her daily life, I also need to know that this man is unable to harm anyone again." It's my turn soon. I take a deep breath as Quinn says: "Prosecution calls Arizona Robbins to the stand."

I walk to the stand uneasily and sit down. I glance at Blake for the first time since I got here. He seems calm, unnerved. There are two people sitting behind him; Penny and a woman who I assume is their mother. He's also joined by a police officer, standing guard over him. I glance over to my side of the court, relieved to see I have a bit more support; Alex, Jo, Meredith, Maggie, Richard, and of course, Amelia. Others wanted to come, but it felt like too much pressure.

"Dr Robbins," Quinn's voice brings me out of my trance. "I know this will be difficult for you..." she looks at me with genuine sympathy. "But, can you please describe the events that took place upon leaving the hospital after your shift on October 31st 2018."

We've been over the wording I should use a thousand times, but it's completely fallen out of my head. I'm just going to have to roll with it.

"Uh... it was late, dark," I begin shakily. "I walked to my car, and as I was looking for my keys... I was grabbed... his arms restrained my whole body..." I'm having flashbacks in my head. I can't... I need to stay in the present. I catch my breath. "I couldn't escape," I actively stop another flashback from entering my mind. "He spoke to me..."

"What did he say?" Quinn presses. "What were his exact words?" I feel tears sting my eyes and I have to clear my throat before I speak.

"He said... he said he'd been watching me," I state. "He talked about the way I dressed and spoke and moved... He described it as 'fascinating'... He called me a temptress." I swallow the lump that's formed in my throat before continuing. "Then he said we were going to have some fun..." The flashbacks keep coming and this time I can't stop them. I remember kicking him and falling down, his huge body shadowing over mine.

"I managed to get out of his grip... I kicked him... I fell," I reel off the events. I try to slow my voice down, but to no avail. It's too much.

"And, how did you fall?" Quinn says.

"Oh... my-my leg..." I look to the jury and the judge apologetically, realising they aren't aware. "My left leg is prosthetic. All my weight was on it. And... I-I fell." I look at Quinn for some sign that I'm saying the right things.

"And, how did you lose the leg?"

"Objection - relevance!" The fat, old lawyer shouts again.

"Miss Mourey?" The judge asks.

"Oh, it's relevant!" She says, pointedly, at the other lawyer. "Dr Robbins..."

"Uh... a plane crash," I say, confused. Even I don't know where she's going with this.

"Ok..." She takes a pause. "So... when you were on the ground, staring up at this man who had just grabbed you and whispered some very suggestive things in your ear, how did you feel?"

"What?" I ask. We definitely didn't discuss this before.

"How did you feel?" She repeats.

"Well... I... I was scared." I say, timidly.

"Scared?" She pushes. What is this woman's deal?

"Yes, scared! Terrified, alright?"

"Ladies and gentleman of the jury," she turns as she addresses them. "Arizona Robbins is one of the most impressive women you or I will ever meet." Huh? Is she talking about me? "She is a survivor. She has lived through a car wreck, plane crash and a hospital shooting." There's whispers amongst the jury and the members of public that are also in the courtroom. "She is not a woman who spooks easily. Yet, in that moment, even with all her near-death experiences, this... 'man' had said and done things that terrified her completely. Things that made her worry for her own life." God, this is so uncomfortable. "Dr Robbins, please continue."

"He... he was angry," I say, trying to get the story back on track. "He grabbed me by my hair and threw me into the car window."

"Judge Stevens," Quinn addresses the Judge with papers. "This document shows the receipt from the garage that fixed the car. This was obtained by Alex Karev." The judge looks over the paper and nods for her to continue. "Please also observe that this incident is what gave Dr Robbins the scar across her cheek, requiring eight stitches, and above her eyebrow, requiring ten stitches." She hands Judge Stevens another piece of paper, presumably a hospital report, before motioning for me to continue. "Arizona..."

"I... um..." I'm scanning my brain to see where we're up to. "I felt dizzy, but... I could feel him holding me upright... and, that's... that's when he... put a needle in my neck." I manage to spit the words from my mouth. Another piece of paper is handed to the judge.

"The toxicology report," she states bluntly. "As you can see, alongside many, many other illegal substances, the defendant had mixed in flunitrazepam, also known as rohypnol; the date rape drug."

God, I hope my bit's over soon. If the prosecution was this hard, what's the defence going to be like? After he's scanned through the amount of drugs that were unwillingly pumped into my system, the judge glances over at me, with pity in his eyes.

"We're going to take a short break to process this information. We will resume at one o'clock," he states. "Court is in recess," he says, loudly, before bring his gavel down.

There's some hustle and bustle and people start to move but I'm frozen to where I'm sat. I look up at the ceiling and try to give my breathing a regular rhythm.

 _Amelia_

God, that was so hard to watch. As she comes down from the stand, she's visibly shaking. I don't think I've ever seen her so pale. I just want to scoop her up in my arms and take her home. All six of us stand up as she makes her way towards us. Alex wraps a protective big brother arm around her and leads us out of the room and into the big reception area. Soon, everyone's chatting amongst themselves about anything but the trial.

Unnoticed by the others, I move over to Arizona and grab her hand. "What do you need?" I ask, quietly.

"I need a cigarette," she whispers back to me, squeezing my hand before quickly exiting the building.


	22. Part 22

_Amelia_

I follow Arizona outside and we sit down on a bench together. She pulls out a pack of Marlboros from her purse and places one between her lips. Her hands are still shaking so much that she can't actually light it. Gently, I take it from her lips and place it between my own. I light it up and hand it back to her.

"Thanks," she says, quietly. As she takes the first drag, her entire body visibly relaxes. She closes her eyes and exhales the smoke slowly. Then, she looks at me and smiles, sadly. I turn my body to face her and use of my hands to tuck her hair behind her ear, allowing my fingers to wrap around the curls at the bottom. "I'm going to stink when I go back in, aren't I?" She says, before taking another drag. I laugh at her, still playing with her hair.

"Well... I figured you'd need a smoke, so I've come prepared," I reassure her. "I have mints and perfume in my purse, you'll be fine." She takes another drag and tilts her head to rest on my shoulder.

"You're a good egg, Amelia Shepherd," she says, evidently much calmer than before. I rest my head on top of hers and hold her free hand. We stay like this until she's half-way through her cigarette. She stubs it out and throws it in the nearby trash can. We talk a little more as she swallows a couple of mints and generously sprays the perfume all over herself. When I check my cell, the numbers read: 12:55.

"C'mon," I say, gently, standing up and escorting her back into the building.

...

 _Arizona_  
"So, we've got all the reports," Blake's lawyer starts. He's very slow; nowhere near as animated as Quinn. "These terrible things that have happened to you are obviously true. For that, Dr Robbins, I am truly sorry." He looks dead at me and it makes me squirm. He's almost as creepy as Blake. "However, I'm yet to see any evidence that proves these actions were undertaken by my client. And, perhaps, on the contrary to what Miss Mourey has suggested, you in fact _do_ have an ulterior motive."

"Excuse me?" I ask, bluntly, from the stand.

"Dr Robbins, I believe you know the defendant's sister," he says, gesturing to Penny. I look at her and she shifts uncomfortably in her seat, as though she's regretting the decision to be here.

"I do," I respond, confused.

"Could you please describe your relationship with the defendant's sister to the court?" He gestures, leaning on the stand.

"Um... we worked together... briefly, and she dated my ex-wife for a short time," I reply, honestly, with a shrug. I glance at Quinn, whose face remains neutral. "We were civil... friendly, even."

"Ah, I see," he says, finally moving away from the stand. "'Friendly'... Friendly right up until you found out that she was the doctor who couldn't save your friend's life?" My mouth gapes open in shock. "A friend whose sister and widow are here today, supporting you? Derek Shepherd?" I glance across the courtroom at Meredith and Amelia who are sitting next to one another. I see Amelia grit her teeth and stare at the floor, shaking her head in disbelief. Meredith simply glares at him, her cat-like features narrowing. This guy has stooped too low. "'Friendly' up until Dr Penelope Blake's new job across the country forced you into a custody battle over a child with your ex-wife?"

"Objection - speculation!" Quinn shouts from her seat. Though, she still looks unnerved.

"Sustained," the judge says. "Mr Roche, we will not speculate over other cases in this courtroom."

"What is it you're implying?" I ask, starting to get pissed. How dare he bring Derek or Sofia into this! Now... Now, I'm ready to fight.

"My point is that there are reasons you would hold some... animosity towards this family. I am implying, Dr Robbins, that James Blake has been purposefully misidentified. It would make sense, wouldn't it? The ultimate revenge..."

"I wouldn't do that to an innocent man!"

"Well... being a doctor of decent morals, usually, I guess not. But, your mind hasn't been in the right place recently, has it?" He patronizes me. "You're currently seeing a therapist, correct?"

"OBJECTION, SPECULATION!" Quinn practically screams across the courtroom. It's the first time I've seen her lose her cool. But, I continue anyway, ignoring the objection.

"For PTSD caused by that stalker!" I say, gesturing towards Blake. "I need a little counselling, I'm not deranged!" I spit back at him. "And, to imply otherwise suggests that you're not even trying to understand mental health and should be nowhere near this courtroom."

"Dr Robbins," Judge Stevens says, warningly. "I'm going to have to ask you to dial it down a notch."

"Sorry," I say, quietly, bowing my head.

"The defence rests," Roche says, smugly, before taking his seat.

I stand up to move back next to Quinn. As soon as I sit down next to her, she turns to Amelia. "You're up next," she says, quietly, giving her a heads up, which I am so grateful for. As Quinn moves away, I turn to face Amelia myself.

"Are you okay? " I ask, looking at her with concern.

She nods but doesn't look at me. Her focus is all on Blake.

 _Amelia_

"The prosecution calls Amelia Shepherd to the stand," Quinn says, calmly. There's whispers among the public and the jury as I make my way to the stand. Some of them must have made the connection with the last name. They're probably trying to guess whether I'm the widow or the sister.

"Dr Shepherd," she addresses me. "How do you know Dr Robbins?" Oh, this could take a while...

"We work at the same hospital," I confirm, calmly.

"And, you are the person who rushed Dr Robbins into hospital after she'd passed out from the attack, correct?"

"Correct," I keep my eyes on Blake long enough to make him feel uncomfortable before turning back to Arizona's lawyer.

"You witnessed the attack?"

"Part of it," I say, honestly.

"Can you confidently identify the person who attacked Dr Robbins on October 31st 2018?"

"I can."

"And, can you confirm that Dr Robbins has identified the culprit accurately?"

"You don't need to ask me... Look at that woman, and tell me she's not telling the truth," I speak to the jury. "Of course it's him!" I stare James Blake out.

"Dr Shepherd, for court records, please state the name of the person you believe to be the attacker."

"James Blake."

"Thank you, Dr Shepherd," the lawyer says, courteously. "And, if this statement isn't enough for you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have video evidence of the attack clearly showing the defendant's face." Oh, my God, no. Please, do not make her go through this again. Mourey picks up a disc and walks over to the projector. "This disc contains footage taken from the CCTV cameras at _The Artisan_ breakfast bar across the road from the hospital. Judge Stevens, may I?" He motions for her to continue. Roche is completely dumbfounded. There's a quiet but heated discussion between himself and Blake as the disc is put into the machine.

I keep my eyes on Arizona for a few moments. She's shrunk back into her chair, arms wrapped around her stomach. Her eyes flit back and forth from the floor to the screen and I can see tears shining in her eyes. I turn my attention to the video. The contents of the disc can only be described as harrowing. We can see every painful moment replayed; Arizona falling backwards as she tries to defend herself, being thrown like a ragdoll through a car window, and finally being viciously stabbed with the needle. As the attacker turns to run away, he faces the camera. Quinn pauses the footage here and zooms in closer to reveal his face. There's no way Blake's getting out of this one. That's him, as clear as day.

"Thank you, Miss Mourey," Judge Stevens says, quickly switching the screen off. "Dr Robbins," he addresses Arizona, but she doesn't respond. "Dr Robbins," he repeats. Arizona's head spins to look at him. She looks completely spaced out; almost as though she's forgotten where she is. I wish Quinn would do something, she's just sitting next to her. Comfort her, you idiot. "Court will break for a short recess," Judge Stevens says, again. He must have decided against this going any further for now. "Please return at 3:30," he says, banging his gavel. This time, Arizona waits for no one. She rushes out of the courtroom without a word.

...

 _Arizona_  
I manage to make it to the toilet before the contents of my stomach leap out of my body. I vomit twice more before I'm able to move again. I wipe my mouth with tissue and throw into the toilet before flushing. I stumble out of the cubicle like a zombie, and look at myself in the mirror. Total mess. I take a couple of the mints Amelia gave me earlier before splashing my face with cold water. I hear the door open, and feel someone standing behind me.

"Hey," a quiet voice says. I know that voice, and it's not a welcome one. I turn around to face Penny Blake.


	23. Part 23

_Penny_  
"Really? 'Hey'?" she asks me, with raised eyebrows. She turns back to the mirror, trying to calm the red patches on her face with cool water. She looks as though she's either just thrown up or been crying hysterically. It makes my stomach twist with guilt.

"I'm so sorry," I blurt out. "I really thought he didn't do it."

"Why would I lie?" She says, refusing to look at me. Instead, she reapplies some concealer to the red areas. "I didn't even know who he was when I identified him."

I sigh out, before attempting to explain my reasoning. "I thought maybe you recognised him from pictures Callie had... I don't know."

"You thought I lied to get back at you," It comes out as a statement, not a question. And, I can't argue back. She's right. "How self-obsessed are you?" she asks, rhetorically, as she quickly paints her eyelashes with mascara.

"Really... Arizona... I feel terrible," I say, honestly. She exhales with a short laugh. It's one of disbelief. I've definitely said the wrong thing.

"Oh... _you_ feel terrible? That's a shame for you," she says, sarcastically, as she puts her make up back into her purse. Finally, she turns to face me. "I've felt terrible for the past two months. I've felt scared, and pathetic, and anxious, and terrible." Her already bloodshot eyes start to shine with tears and my heart jumps into my mouth.

"I'm sorry," I say, again, my eyes stinging with tears of sympathy. "I'm so sorry," I say, desperately. "I want to help you. Please, let me help you." She scoffs at me.

"You can't help," she says, bluntly. "You know... I haven't been out in public by myself since it happened. I'm a little bit scared of the dark and I have nightmares every night." She continues. She needs to unload this on someone and I don't think she wants to worry her family or her friends. She needs to unload it on someone she doesn't like. Maybe this is the way I can help her. "I have cried... I have cried _so_ much. And, I'm anxious. I'm anxious all the damn time," her voice breaks. "It's worse than the car wreck, it's worse than the shooting and it's worse than that fucking plane crash! And, do you know why?" It's not a question she wants me to answer. She just wants to shout stuff at me. "Because it was personal, Penny. He chose _me_. He targeted _me_. He attacked _me_. Just for being myself. How am I supposed to go back to normal? How the hell do I know this isn't going to happen to me again?" She exhales sharply before tilting her head to the ceiling and closing her eyes, trying to regain some composure.

Suddenly, the bathroom door swings open and we both turn our heads to face Amelia Shepherd. She smiles at Arizona, looking a little relieved. When her eyes flit to me, her face changes. The smile turns into tight, pursed lips and her brow furrows.

"What the fuck are you doing?" She growls at me, moving quickly to stand next to Arizona, who just looks bewildered. She places her hand on Arizona's lower back and focuses all of her attention on the blonde. "Are you okay?" She says, much more calmly to her. She nods her head and they both turn back to look at me.

"Get the fuck out of here, now," Amelia says to me through gritted teeth.

But, I can't move. I continue to study Arizona's face, trying to determine whether or not her rant has helped her. I'd say it's eased her a little. When I finally look at Amelia, I realise that it's probably in everyone's best interest that I do leave.

...

 _Arizona_  
Quinn and I are standing ready for the final part of the trial. My leg shakes and I tap my knuckles, trying to think of anything other than the worst possible outcome.

"Arizona... Stop fidgeting," Quinn whispers, sharply.

"S-sorry," I whisper back, bowing my head. I close my eyes and try to control my movements. After a few seconds, I feel her hand on my shoulder. I turn to look at her.

"Don't worry, we've got this. That monster is going away for a very long time." I nod my head in agreement with her even though I'm still not convinced.

Just before we sit down, I hear the courtroom doors open and close. Whoever that is, they're late. I look behind me and see Penny. She looks very awkward. She glances towards her mother who is wearing a look of annoyance and gesturing for her to come back to her seat. But, she doesn't move. Penny's eyes move back to me for a second. Then she does something that surprises me. She sits on my side of the courtroom. It's a small gesture, but I'm thankful for it.

...

 _Amelia_  
The investigation into the stalking side of things is over pretty quickly. The police officer who found the photographs of Arizona in James Blake's apartment is cross-examined a couple of times and then it's over. Again, it's very obvious that Blake's guilty, despite Roche's feeble attempts at defending him.

The closing statements go by in a blur. I keep my focus on Arizona the whole time. I am in awe of her. She has been so incredibly strong today. She's handled each twist and turn of the trial with elegance and grace. In the five and a half years that I've known her, I never would have guessed she'd have dealt with something like this so well. She's extraordinary. But, I know today has taken its toll on her. I just hope the jury sees sense and finds Blake guilty so that this beautiful woman can find some peace.

...

 _Arizona_  
"All rise for the honorable Judge Stevens," I hear from the other side of the courtroom. As we stand, I feel my stomach flip. I feel like I'm going to pass out. The jury members are about to deliver the verdict. Everything hangs on these next few moments.

"Members of the jury, have you reached a verdict?" The judge asks as he sits down. He signals for the rest of us to sit, too. One member of the jury remains standing.

"We have your honour," one woman says on their behalf.

"And, how do you find the defendant?"

The sound of my heartbeat takes over the silent moments that follow. It feels like an eternity before anybody responds.

"For assault with intent to commit rape, we find the defendant guilty."

I breathe a sigh of relief. He gets some jail time at least. He can't harm me. He can't harm anyone for a long time.

"For assault in the first degree, we find the defendant guilty."

Quinn grabs my forearm and squeezes. She knew this was coming, but she also knew I had my doubts. It's a gesture that's a cross between 'everything's going to be okay' and 'I told you so'.

"For misdemeanour stalking, we find the defendant guilty."

With this final statement, I feel every muscle in my body unclench and relax. I'm taking solace in the fact that not only will this man be locked away, but also that I've been believed. Other than Blake walking free, the thing I was really scared of was being branded a liar. Now I know that both of those things won't be happening, I feel like a can finally de-stress a little.

"Dr James Blake, you have been found guilty for the crimes of assault with intent to commit rape, assault in the first degree and misdemeanour stalking. Sentencing will take place in ninety days. You will not be granted bail."

Moments after the gavel is brought down, there's hustle and bustle in the courtroom. Members of the public start to file out and Blake is escorted out behind the judge. He glances back at me with venom in his eyes. When he smirks at me, I shrink into myself. I close my eyes and hope that's the last time I ever have to lay eyes on him. Quinn shakes my hand and congratulates me. It feels more like justice than a victory but I smile and thank her anyway before leaving. The second I'm through the gate, I'm rushed into an embrace. I bury my face into Amelia's neck and hold tight. My emotions are all over the place. I could burst into tears. I could scream in pain. I could laugh hysterically. I could fall asleep. I break the embrace before one of these emotions becomes a physical reaction. We walk out and gather outside.

"How are you feeling?" Richard asks me, as we all settle a few yards away from the building's steps.

"Tired," I reply, honestly, with a weak smile. "But, fine," I say, trying to reassure the group.

"Sorry, we've got to take off. My shift starts in like an hour," Jo says, apologetically. "I'm glad you're okay," she says and kisses me on the cheek. Alex lightly punches me on the arm and smiles at me. He's not about to get emotional in front of other people. I smile back at him before they rush towards the car.

We talk for a little and then say our goodbyes. Amelia and I walk towards her car. Once we're out of sight of everyone else, she intertwines our fingers and brings my hand up to her lips, kissing it gently. We continue to walk hand-in-hand in silence. She knows I need these quiet moments. We stop at the trunk of her car and she turns to face me. She pulls me into another embrace and I feel safe. As my chin rests on her shoulder, I notice two other women in the car park; Penny and her mother. They're arguing. It's not hard to guess what about. The older woman storms off, and Penny sits down on the nearest bench, head in her hands. Amelia breaks the embrace when she realises my attention is elsewhere.

"I'll be back in a minute," I say, quietly. I feel her eyes follow me as I walk towards Penny. What am I doing? I can't seem to stop myself.

"Penny," I say her name, getting her attention immediately. She fiercely wipes her face of any stray tears before looking at me. She looks at me with wide-eyes, as though she's wondering if I've forgiven her yet. It looks as though she could do with a little positivity. "Thank you."


	24. Part 24

_Amelia_  
Expectedly, the car ride home is quiet. I have the radio on, mostly just as a background distraction. When I glance over at Arizona, she's staring out of the window. I see a slight reflection in her window. To someone who doesn't know her, she could be mistaken for daydreaming. But, I know she's contemplating something.

"Can we go back to yours?" She asks, suddenly. She looks at me with those doe eyes and I take her hand in mine.

"Of course. Whatever you want," I say, sincerely. At this point, I'd drive her halfway across the country if she wanted. I'm not entirely sure why she doesn't want to be at home, but now is not the time to pry.

 _So, so you think you can tell heaven from hell?_  
 _Blue skies from pain?_  
 _Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?_  
 _A smile from a veil?_  
 _Do you think you can tell?_

She's still got that weak smile on her face, trying to disguise any real emotion. If she breaks, she'll really break. She's scared of losing that control. In some aspects, we're very similar people. "Are you alright?" I ask. I know she's not alright. How could she be? I'm just hoping she'll give me a little insight into what she's thinking.

"I miss my brother," comes out in an honest whisper. My heart aches for her.

 _How I wish, how I wish you were here._  
 _We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl._  
 _Year after year, running over the same old ground._  
 _And, how we found the same old fears._  
 _Wish you were here._

From my own experience, I know there's nothing I can say to comfort her. Instead, I empathise. "Same," I say, squeezing her hand tighter. I feel her eyes burn into me with compassion.

"I'm sorry they tried to bring Derek's death into the trial," she says, wholeheartedly.

"It's not your fault," I say as we pull onto the driveway. In an attempt to reassure her, I kiss her cheek before I unbuckle and make my way to the house. I usher her inside, before closing the door and kicking off my heels.

She stands there awkwardly clutching one of her arms, as though she hasn't been here dozens of times in the past two months. In this moment, I feel like a stranger. And, I don't like it. I don't like it one bit.

"Arizona," I start, sensitively. "What do you need?" I step closer to her, and study her expression. I can't quite get a read on her. But, I want to help.

"Sorry," she says, quietly. "My head's... everywhere," she sighs out.

"I know," I say, brushing her hair out of her face with both hands, before pulling her into a kiss filled with emotion. A kiss that tells her I will do anything to keep her safe. A kiss that tells her she is worthy and valued and loved.

Yeah, loved. I love her. I'm _in_ love with her. Fuck, how did this happen so fast? I guess it's different when you've already known someone for years. Right now, this could either be the best thing to tell her, or the worst thing. I can't risk it. For her sake more than mine, I'll keep it to myself. It can wait for another day.

 _Arizona_  
The kiss alleviates so much pressure from my chest. Like she's cut loose the elastic band that was holding my heart in place. The fingers that have been resting on Amelia's hips start to cling to her shirt. I want a hundred kisses like this; caring and protective and completely devoted. When the kiss comes to an end, she smiles at me.

"I'm going to draw you a bath... with loads of bubbles," she states, decidedly. "And, pour you a glass of wine," she wraps her arms around my waist. "And, you're going to spend the rest of the evening relaxing."

"That sounds perfect," I say, smiling genuinely for the first time today. "There's one thing missing though..."

"What?" She says, listening intently. She wants this to be perfect for me.

"I need you in there with me."

...

 _Amelia_  
This was a _great_ idea. I'm laying back, head on a towel, surrounded by sweet-smelling bubbles, and tealight candles that line the edge of the bath. Soothing music plays gently through the bathroom speakers. Most importantly, the incredibly beautiful (and naked) Arizona Robbins is sat in between my legs, relaxing into my body.

"This was a _great_ idea," she takes the words right out of my head as she sips on her white wine. With a sip or two left, she puts the glass to one side and leans back into me fully, sighing contently.

"Mmm," I agree as I wrap my arms around her and turn my head slightly to press my lips to her temple. I can't see her face, but I know she's smiling.

"Thank you for today," she says, rubbing a hand up and down my arm. "I really couldn't have done it without you there. You were amazing."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," I say, kissing her shoulder. "You handled today amazingly. I was so proud of you."

"You were?" She asks, turning her head to face me.

"I was," I confirm, this time kissing her lips.

"Hmm..." She murmurs, nestling back into my shoulder. She's fake-thinking. She's already made up her mind about something, but wants me to know about it, too. She's so cute.

"What?" I smirk.

"That sounds like something a girlfriend might say..." She says, playfully.

"Oh, yeah?" I reply, feeling playful myself. "Huh... That's weird..." I continue the charade. "I thought we were just friends? Friends take baths together, right?"

"Only really close ones," she retorts, sharp as a tack.

"Arizona," I smile as she turns to me once again and flutters her eyelashes at me in response. "Wanna be my girlfriend?"

"Uh... okay," she says, crinkling her nose as though she's not bothered. Seconds later, despite her best efforts to keep it away, a smile creeps onto her face.

"By the way, that friends in the bath thing better be a joke, because I am going to be _pissed_ if I find you in the bath with Jo."


	25. Part 25

_Callie_  
When Arizona arrives at my door, my stomach ties itself up in knots. She looks cute. Really cute. Her hair has its natural wave running through it and she's wearing a simple, white jumper under a long, light grey coat with black skinny jeans and ankle boots. There's something radiant about her. She's looking all skin-glowy and happy.

"Mommy!" My little girl exclaims, running past me and into Arizona's embrace.

"Hey, Little Goose," she says, wrapping our daughter up in her arms. "Mama and I thought we could both take you to school today." She says, excitedly. "Hey, ZoZo," she says, still holding onto Sofia with one arm, but reaching out and squeezing Zola's hand.

"Hey, ZoZona!" Zola replies, with her own special nickname.

"You girls ready for your first day back?" Both nod in response to her question before racing to the car.

"Jeez, I wish I was that eager to get to work," she jokes.

...

"How did she get so big?" Arizona asks me with a smile as we watch the children run into school.

"I don't know," I say, unable to take my eyes off of our ever-growing daughter. "It seems like only yesterday that we took her home."

"What is he doing?" She asks, suddenly. Who is she talking about? I glance at her before looking in the same direction. A man is crouching down with a camera in his hands, taking a few snaps of his daughter with a camera. I have to hold onto her arm to stop her from marching over to him.

"Arizona," I say, quietly. "He is taking a picture of his child at school." She's wearing this panic-stricken look across her face.

"What if Sofia's in the background of that picture?"

"Hey, stop," I say, grabbing her shoulders. "If she is, she is. He's a parent, Arizona. He's not Blake." I speak to her as gently as I can, but at the mention of his name, her eyes start to well up. "C'mon," I gesture back at the car and we walk over, quickly.

We're silent, as we put our belts on and start the drive towards the hospital. She sits in the passenger seat, fidgeting with her hands, awkwardly.

"Thank you," she says, shyly. "For not letting me cause a scene. That would have been super embarrassing."

I smile in return, but when I glance at her, I notice a couple of tears have spilled over onto her cheeks. She wipes them away fiercely.

"Are you alright?" I ask, concerned.

"Yeah, I... I... I just-" Her voice breaks into tumultuous sobs. I pull the car over and grab her hand, hoping she'll confide in me. She throws her head to the headrest and looks to the sunroof. "I can't even drop my daughter off at school without freaking out," she manages to get out. She manages to calm herself down, before asking: "What kind of mother am I?!"

"No... Stop," I say, gently, lifting her chin to look at me. "You, Arizona Robbins, are the best mother to our little girl," I say, earnestly. "You've brought her up to be caring, and strong, and funny, and inquisitive," I move my hand to cup her cheek. "Please, don't ever doubt your ability as her mother."

Her eyes drop to the floor and she sighs. I know I haven't convinced her and it makes my heart ache. Without much thought, I push her hair back and lean in to kiss away her pain.

"Callie!" Before our lips can connect, she leans back and creates a barrier between us by placing her hands on my collar bones. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I say, appearing composed.

"I... I'm seeing someone," she says as her emotions shift from complete devastation to confused and awkward. I just feel like someone has punched me in the gut.

"Well, this is embarrassing..." I say, trying to turn this into a light-hearted situation. "Who?"

"It's... It's someone who works at the hospital," and there it is; the only clue I need. I know exactly who she's fucking.

"Is it Amelia Shepherd?" I ask, bluntly.

Arizona's eyes widen and her mouth parts in surprise. She goes to say something but quickly changes her mind, clamping her teeth back together in an awkward grimace and nodding rigidly. I knew it. My stomach twists with jealousy.

"As in 'ex-drug addict' Amelia Shepherd?"

"Callie," she says in a warning tone. It's probably not a good idea for me to insult her new girlfriend. "How did you know, anyway?"

"Just a hunch," I say, without giving away any details. I can hear the bitterness in my voice, but I can't change my tone. The jealousy has taken over all other emotions. "You really think she's girlfriend material?"

"Okay... I won't listen to you talk about her like this," she says under her breath, unbuckling her belt and getting out of the car. "I'll walk to work," she says, crossly, before slamming the car door behind her.

...

 _Arizona_  
How dare she?! How dare she have any judgement on this?! She barely knows Amelia. She barely knows me any more. Yet, she thinks it's appropriate to throw around 'ex-drug addict' and 'girlfriend material' comments. I am so angry I could explode. Hopefully, the walk to work will calm me down. As I approach the park, I know I'm not far away. Ten minutes tops.

Suddenly, I hear a beep from behind me. I look up to see Alex pull up next to me.

"Arizona, what are you doing?" He asks with a face full of confusion.

I throw my arms up in frustration. Not at Alex, but at this whole situation. "Walking to work, apparently!"

"Do you _want_ to walk to work?" He asks, casually.

"Not really," I say, looking at him with pleading eyes.

When he gestures for me to get into his car, I smile with gratitude and quickly slide into the passenger seat. He drives towards the hospital, but doesn't ask any questions.

"You don't want to know why I was walking?" I ask.

"You can tell me if you want," he shrugs.

"No... No, it's fine," I say, decidedly. After a few seconds of silence, I change my mind. I need to get it off my chest. "So, Callie and I decided to drop Sofia off together this morning..." I start. "And, we decided that it would just be easier to go in one car. We dropped her off, and then..." No, don't go into too much detail Arizona. Just the basics. "Then, I told her I was seeing someone."

"Uh huh, Amelia Shepherd," he interjects. What?!

"Okay, this is ridiculous," I say, a little annoyed. Who's told him? "How do _you_ know?" He simply laughs at my reaction.

"Dude, it's obvious," he says. "Plus, I saw you guys totally make out at New Year's."

"Uh... we didn't think anyone saw that," I say, very awkwardly squirming in my seat. I feel like my sibling has just caught me having sex or something.

"Not many did," he confirms.

"I'm actually kind of impressed you remembered that," I say, honestly. "You were super hammered."

...

I thank Karev for the ride and we go our separate ways as I head towards the center. I'm just through the door when I see Nicole Herman's name pop up on my screen. This is weird. I haven't spoken to her since I left New York.

"Hello?" I say, confused.

"Robbins, you're late!" She says, abruptly, down the phone.

"Only by... 4 minutes," I say, checking my watch. "I've had a rough morning!" I defend myself before a realisation hits me. "Hang on, how do you know I'm late?"

Moments later, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around and hang the phone up as I realise I'm staring at Nicole Herman in the flesh.


	26. Part 26

_Arizona_  
"What are you doing here?" I stare at Nicole in disbelief.

"This is Dr Brooke Clarke," she says, gesturing to the tall brunette next to her. "She'll be your replacement in New York. I've come to show her how you do things."

"A little heads up would have been nice!" I say, quickly but calmly, before turning to Clarke and shaking her hand. "Hi, nice to meet you," I say, politely.

"It's an honour, Dr Robbins," she says, gripping my hand, tightly. "I've been following your work for years," I feel my face start to flush. Please, no more compliments. "I'm really looking forward to being a part of the center."

"Clarke, can you give us a minute?" Herman asks. It's not really a request. Brooke smiles at me before making herself scarce. "Is she gone?" I nod in response before realising Herman can't see me.

"Uh, yeah," I say, checking that Clarke is out of earshot. She reaches out and clumsily places her hand on my arm. She swallows before she speaks.

"I heard about the attack," she says, sympathy in her voice. "Are you alright, Robbins?"

"Yeah... fine. All back to normal," I smile at her. Nope, still can't see me. I cover my hand with hers in appreciation.

"Robbins," she says, sternly, as though I've been caught telling lies. She has this unique ability to make me feel like a naughty five year old. I sigh before I speak.

"I have a bit of PTSD," I explain, quietly. "But, I'm... I'm seeing someone for it." I don't give away too much detail but I already know she's going to pry.

"What are your symptoms?"

"Um... nightmares, flashbacks, hyperarousal, panic attacks... You know, textbook PTSD." The sooner we stop talking about this the better. She senses my anxiety about the topic, and jumps into rescuer mode.

"Do you need some support here? An extra doctor? An extra teacher?"

"No, I'll probably just worry about them, too." I joke, half-heartedly. "Thank you, though."

"You let me know if you change your mind," she says, sincerely. Then, her face changes, as if to say all seriousness is out of the way. "Now, before we start, I need a coffee," she grabs my arm and I lead her towards the canteen.

"Hey... where are all my students?" I say, realising it's very quiet.

"Oh, I've set them off on a research task," she says, quickly. Jesus, already? I was only four minutes late. "Time is money, Robbins," she says, as though she was reading my mind.

...

We've been sat talking for the past fifteen minutes about my life post-New York. I hate talking about myself, but Nicole has not stopped asking. When we first set up the Robbins-Herman Center for Women's Health, we became immediate friends. We had an appreciation for each other's work and the bridge between theoretical teaching and practical surgery flowed meticulously for the students. We were a great team. From there, we would confide in each other about dreams and worries and everything in between. When I left New York, I got the impression that it wasn't just me leaving my job that she was upset about. She didn't want to lose a friend, too. Maybe that's why she's been so distant since I moved back.

I try and brush all of my thoughts aside and focus on the now. I've just finished explaining to her that I'm seeing someone at the hospital.

"Tell me it's not that awful Torres woman," she says, in a disappointed voice. After the morning I've had with Callie, I can't help but smirk at that comment.

"Keep your voice down. That awful Torres woman is like five tables away," I laugh. "And no, it's not her..."

"Do I know her?" She asks, curiously. I smirk. She's going to freak when she realises I'm dating the surgeon who removed her life-threatening tumour.

"Hmm, you might have heard of her... Her name's Amelia."

"Amelia Shepherd?" Her eyes widen out of interest.

"Yeah," I confirm, smiling at her name. I'm glad Nicole can't see the goofy look on my face.

"Robbins, I can feel that smile from here!" Dammit! How does she do that? "Well... it's about time."

"What do you mean 'about time'?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't play dumb with me, Robbins! There's always been a spark between you two," she says, undeniably confident. "I'm surprised you didn't get it on during the whole tumour debacle," she says, flippantly, making me choke on my coffee. I think she's the only woman in the world who can get away with talking so nonchalantly about her own tumour. I see her lips curve upwards into a self-satisfied smile. She'll never admit it, but she loves shocking people. "And, you're not seeing other people?"

"As of last week, are officially 'girlfriends'," I say, immediately cringing. "That sounds so juvenile..." She smiles at me again, but this time it's gentle; a genuinely happy smile.

"Does she make you happy, Robbins?"

"Every day," I say, honestly. "Even the terrible ones."

…

 _Amelia_  
My shift ended an hour ago, but I've been keeping myself busy, waiting for Arizona to finish up teaching. I'm standing outside, not far from the entrance when I see her striding towards me and my heart flutters. I smile widely at her and open my mouth to speak to her, but she rushes me into an unexpected, passionate kiss. It's as though she hasn't kissed me for weeks.

"'Hello' to you, too," I say, pulling back and smiling at her. My smile turns to a frown when I see the worry etched across her face. "Are you okay?"

"Do you trust me?" She asks, voice barely above a whisper.

"What?" I ask, confused. "Yeah, of course, I do!" I stroke her cheek in an attempt to ease whatever it is she's stressed about. "What's going on?" I ask, taking both of her hands. She sighs out and looks at the floor.

"Callie tried to kiss me this morning," she says, looking back into my eyes. Her words cut through me like a knife.

"Oh," is all I manage, initially. There's a million questions I want to ask her. I should probably get the most obvious one out of the way. "Did... did you kiss her back?" Please, say no. Please, say no.

"No... God, no. I wouldn't. You know I wouldn't, right?" She looks at me with desperate eyes and I immediately regret my question. I already know she wouldn't. Of course she wouldn't.

"I do," I kiss her, caringly. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid question. I wasn't thinking."

"I just wanted you to know. I didn't want to hide it from you. I don't want to hide anything from you." She says, honestly. My face relaxes into a smile. God, could I love her any more? "I told her about us," she says, bringing me back to earth.

"How did she react?" I ask, genuinely interested.

"Not great," she says, rolling her eyes. "I ended up walking to work from Sofia's school. Well, for a little bit... Alex spotted me and picked me up. Oh, he knows, too, by the way." She rambles, making me smile again.

"I don't care," I say, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Anyone can know."

"Yeah?" She asks, gently, as her hands rest on the back of my neck.

"Yeah... as long as that's okay with you?"

She doesn't reply verbally, but leans into our embrace. I kiss her shoulder before resting my chin on it. That's when I spot a familiar woman coming out of the hospital. My eyebrows knot together in confusion. "Is that Herman?" I ask Arizona.

"Oh, by the way, Herman's here," she quips. "She also knows."

"Oh, God. I take back the 'anyone can know' thing," I say, jokingly. I know she's going to want to tease us about this. There's another woman next to Herman who I don't recognise.

"There she is," she says, pointing to Arizona and guiding the blind woman towards us. We stand shoulder to shoulder as they make their way towards us.

"Robbins," Herman addresses her. "Thank you for today."

"Dr Herman," I greet her, making sure she knows I'm here too before she says anything embarrassing.

"Shepherd! It's good to see you. Well, so to speak..." she jokes, making me smile. It's good to know she hasn't lost her quick wit. "Clarke, this is the brilliant woman who removed my tumour. Dr Brooke Clarke's working at the New York center."

We exchange greetings and fall into small talk. The conversation starts off steadily, but as we continue, Herman seems to be a little antsy.

"Oh, crap. I think I left my cell in the waiting room," she says, rifling through her bag.

"I'll go check for you," Arizona volunteers.

"Clarke, go with her," Herman says, sharply.

"Uh... okay?" I watch as the two walk towards the hospital, and turn back to Nicole when they're out of sight.

"Isn't that your cell in your pocket?" I ask. Then it clicks. She's sent them in as a distraction. She's very subtle.

"Are you taking care of her?" She wastes no time in questioning me about what she really wants to know.

"We're taking care of each other," I confirm, truthfully.

"How was the trial?"

"Hard," I say, not skirting around the topic. "But, she was... amazing. She was honest, and graceful, and brave. You'd have been really proud of her." She nods her head, knowingly.

"And, the PTSD?" She asks, quickly. I'm not sure how to answer this one. I sigh out and think for a couple of seconds.

"It is what it is," I reply, eventually. "I help her the best I can, but, I'm... I'm constantly worried that it's not enough." I don't feel like saying anything else. To be completely honest, simply trying to help her through it is exhausting me. I dread to think what it's actually doing to Arizona. Unexpectedly, I feel Nicole's hand grab my shoulder.

"I can guarantee that whatever you're doing is helping her," she says. They're the exact words I need to hear. They help me feel like I'm doing something right. "Despite everything, I can tell she's happy. You're making her happy."

"We couldn't find it," Arizona's voice brings us out of our conversation. "Isn't this your cell?" she says, poking the bulge in Herman's pocket.

"Oops! You're right," she feigns surprise. "Guess I can't even blame that one on the blindness, huh?"

"Nope, probably just old age," Arizona replies in jest.

"You know it's not too late to dissolve this business arrangement, Robbins," she says, jokingly. I watch as she pulls her into a hug and it shocks me. She's not usually one for PDA. "Take care of yourself, Arizona," she says in a motherly fashion.

"You, too," Arizona replies. "Let me know when you're back safe."

"Will do," she promises. "See you around, Shepherd," she says, squeezing my arm on her way past.

"It was good to meet you both," Clarke says, politely, following Herman towards the car.

"You, too," we reply in unison.

"I miss that woman," Arizona says, fondly, as we watch them get into the car.

"You know what? I kinda do, too!" I admit.

As we walk in the opposite direction and towards my car, I sling my arm across Arizona's shoulders. In turn, she wraps an arm around my waist, and asks me: "How was your day?"

I don't think I've ever felt quite so content.


	27. Part 27

_Meredith_  
"It's nice of you to grace us with your presence," I say, leaning on the open passenger-side window of Amelia's car. I am joking, of course. I'm actually really glad she's spending so much time with Arizona. She's good for her. They're good for each other. But, it's still fun to tease her.

"Do you want a lift or not?" She retorts.

"I was hoping some of Robbins' perkiness would have rubbed off on you," I say as I get into the car. "Apparently not."

"How's it going with you guys?" Maggie asks, clambering into the back seat.

"Good. Really good, actually!" Amelia smiles as she starts to drive towards the hospital. "She's so fun and exciting." There's a look in her eyes that I haven't seen before. "I knew she was smart, but she thinks so deeply, too. She's kind and thoughtful..." I've never heard her talk about anybody like this before. She may have felt these things, but she certainly never verbalises them to other people. This girl is in deep. If it was with anybody other than Dr Sweetheart, I'd be worried. Maggie and I smirk at each other. "And, she's funny. Like, _really_ funny!" Amelia chuckles as she remembers something. "The other night, she..." Her rambling stops as she notices the exchange between us. "What?"

"Look at you," I continue to grin.

"What?" She asks again, starting to get frustrated.

"You _love_ her," I tease.

"Meredith, we've been dating three months..." No denial. She definitely loves her.

"Oh, my God, you so love her!" Maggie joins in. Amelia rolls her eyes as she realises this teasing is going to be relentless.

"Okay, we're not talking about this anymore..."

...

 _Amelia_  
Confidently, I stroll into the research lab, tumour sample and notes in hand, but it's already occupied by the last person I want to see.

"Oh... Sorry, I thought this was free today," I apologise to Callie.

"No, stay. I'm just finishing up," she insists, never moving her head from the microscope.

Awkwardly, I take a seat and start flicking through my notes. I'm not really taking any of the information in, I'm just trying to keep my eyes busy. Callie continues to look through the microscope, checking some bone fragments. Somehow, I can tell she's about to start digging into my relationship.

"So..." Here it comes. "You're having sex with my wife?" Wow. I wasn't expecting it to be quite so blunt.

"Ex-wife," I correct her, trying to appear unfazed, keeping my eyes on the page.

"Uh huh," she says, dismissing my comment. She spins around on her stool to face me. "Where do you see this going exactly?"

"Callie," I warn, looking up from my notes. "I'm going to tell you this once," I say, firmly. "This is absolutely none of your business." She simply scoffs at me, ignoring what I've just said.

"You're at the end of a long list, Shepherd," she says, cockily walking over to the table I'm sat at. "She's slept with half the women in this hospital, you know."

I see red and stand up quickly, coming face to face with her. This could be misconstrued as an act of insecurity; like I'm unsure of Arizona's intentions. But, I'm not. I know she wouldn't use me like that. What I'm actually mad at is that she's trying to suggest that Arizona's a slut. Though I'm a good six inches shorter than Callie, I don't feel intimidated. I just feel angry.

"You're wondering why you lost her?" I ask, with raised eyebrows. "Because you can so readily talk shit about her like that," I spit the words out, and her smug look changes. "Arizona is wonderful," I say, adamantly. "And, you'd have realised that when you were together if you could take your head out of your own ass for more than five minutes." Okay, now I'm shouting. Time to dial it back a little. "Relationships are a two-way street, Torres. Next time, try showing your partner a little respect." Maybe that was a step too far. She looks almost hurt. That's enough now, Amelia.

"You really think I need relationship advice from you, Shepherd? Are you kidding?" She says, starting to wave her hands around. "You dived headfirst into a completely flawed marriage and want to give me advice?" she says, spitefully. "You need to focus on your own relationships and your own happiness before poking your nose into mine!" She storms past me, slamming the door behind her.

And, I stand there in stark realisation: She's right. But, not in the way that she thinks. I am happy and I am in love. I know this to be true. But, the last time another human made me this happy, I had a brain tumour.

Fuck.

...

 _Meredith_  
I'm re-arranging OR schedules when Amy's anxious voice brings me out of my thoughts.

"Come with me," she says, urgently, as she approaches me. "Now," she says, marching past me, and down the corridor towards the elevator. I follow her, wondering what's got her spooked. "Where's Maggie?" She asks.

"She's in surgery," I reply, quickly. I scan the room to make sure no one else is within earshot before asking my question. "What's going on?" I ask, worried. The elevator bell rings and we get in. Amelia presses the closed door button, several times in quick succession.

"I need you to scan my head," she says, once the doors are closed. "I think it's back." Surely, she's not saying what I think she's saying. "I think the tumour's back."


	28. Part 28

_Amelia_  
"You're sure?" I ask Meredith, desperately.

"Completely clear," Meredith confirms. "No tumour, no abnormalities, nothing. See for yourself," she says, pointing to one of the computer screens. As I check the scans, I feel a sigh of relief run through my entire body. "I'm afraid it's just a diagnosis of 'head over heels'," she says, grimacing. "I'm not sure if I'd prefer the tumour," she jokes.

"Trust me, you wouldn't," I smile back. "Thank you for checking."

"You need to tell her," Meredith replies. "You need to tell her you love her before you drive yourself insane."

...

 _Arizona_  
"Hello?" I call out as I stroll into Amelia's house, soaking wet after my short walk from the car to Amelia's front door. This storm is ruthless. I make a beeline for the kitchen so I can unpack the food I've brought. "Amelia?" I call out, again. I see her appear in the doorway, smiling at me. "Hey, I brought soup," I say, holding up the paper bags in my hands. "I also picked up some cocoa and cream and marshmallows," I say, putting them down on the kitchen counters. "Personally, I think this whipped cream can be put to better use..." My joke is cut short as Amelia plants her lips on mine. I love her surprise kisses. I pull back to look at her. "You like that idea, too?"

"Oh, I really like that idea," she replies with an enticing smile.

 _Amelia_  
She looks hot all wet. An endearing raindrop still sits on the tip of her nose. I kiss it away before kissing her lips once more, with all the passion I can muster. A moan escapes her throat and I feel electricity shoot from my core and through my limbs. I break the kiss to tuck her wet locks behind her ears. She is the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on. Now. Now is the time to tell her.

"Arizona, I..." All of a sudden, the house is in total darkness. Arizona grips tightly to one of my arms. Great timing, storm.

"What happened?" She asks, confused.

"I'm gonna go with 'power cut'," I say, feeling my way around the kitchen to find the flashlight drawer. I use my hand dig around the many items of random crap and eventually pull the flashlight out. I turn it on and make my way towards the fuse box in the hallway. Yep, all the switches are where they should be. So, it's not just my house. I look out the window and realise the whole street is out. "It's the lines outside," I say to Arizona as I walk back into the kitchen. I shine my flashlight in her general direction and see her backed into one of the counter corners. Both hands grip so tightly to the counter surfaces that I can see her white knuckles from here. "You alright?"

"Yeah, fine," she says, trying to disguise her shaky voice. I don't ask her about it, I just go to stand next to her, taking one of her hands in mine.

"Help me find some candles?"

"Yeah," she agrees, quietly. I begin to gather the tealights as Arizona lights the ones that are already on display.

"So, I guess soup and hot cocoa is no longer an option," she says, disappointedly. I can feel that pout from here.

"Chinese food?" I ask, hopefully.

"I love Chinese food!"

...

 _Arizona_  
We're settled in the living room now, surrounded by candles and eating from food containers delivered by the closest Chinese food place with power.

"Seriously?" I laugh at Amelia, who's managing to capture one noodle at a time with her chopsticks. "You are one of the most skilled surgeons in America, and you find chopsticks a challenge?"

"Hey, they're tricky!" She protests.

"Uh huh," I say, sarcastically, as I use my own chopsticks to put a decent amount of food into my mouth. Amelia concentrates, carefully picking up a piece of salt and pepper chicken with the sticks. It's about a centimeter from her mouth before she accidentally drops it back into the bowl.

"URGH, I'm getting a fork," she says, slamming the chopsticks down. I laugh as she stomps towards the kitchen. She's cute when she's cranky.

"Yeah, probably for the best," I call after her. "We do want the meal to be finished by the end of the night." As she comes back into the room, she gets her revenge, playfully jabbing the back of my arm with her fork.

 _Amelia_  
"Ow! Vicious!" She retorts, as I join her on the couch.

"Yeah, that seems to be my general vibe today..." I say without much thought, finally tucking into my dinner. She looks at me with a furrowed brow, as if to say, 'Huh?'. "I got into a fight with Callie today," I say, casually, trying to play it down.

"You did?" She asks, worried. "What about?"

"Nothing important. Just bickering," I say, wanting to spare Arizona's feelings. Callie basically called her a slut, and it's not something I ever want her thinking, especially after the trial last month. "But, you know, after all the bickering, I realised..." I pause, thinking carefully about how to word this. I put my food container down and turn to face her. "I realised that, despite all the obstacles we've had to go through these past few months, I... I don't think I've ever been this happy." I say, looking at her with honest eyes. She smiles at me and takes my face in her hands. She studies me for a few moments, before kissing me, firmly. The kiss ends, but we stay close to one another. I tuck flyaway hairs behind her ear before I continue, still thinking carefully about my words. I don't want her to take this the wrong way. "But, you know, the last time I was really happy with someone else..."

"You had the tumour," she finishes my sentence for me, her face dropping. Her lip starts to shake. "Do you... is it...?"

"Oh, God, no! No, it's not back," I say, quickly. "I got Mer to check. There's nothing there. Completely tumour free." She releases the breath she was holding and slaps me lightly on the arm.

"Don't scare me like that!" She scolds. I kiss her gently as an apology.

 _Arizona_  
"Arizona," she begins, quietly. "You make me so happy. So happy that I didn't think it was possible without there being something wrong with me." We laugh together at her dark joke and share another kiss. Her words give me goosebumps everywhere. She is the sweetest human. The truth is, she makes me insanely happy, too. "I am in complete awe of you and everything you give to the world," she continues. I feel my cheeks flush and bite my lip to try and repress the goofy smile breaking out across my face. She makes me feel worthy. "And, I didn't think I could fall for somebody this hard and this fast..." She pauses; like she's about to say something ground-breaking. "But, I love you, Arizona." My heart stops. What? What did she just say? My brain starts to run at one hundred miles an hour. How is it that this brilliant and remarkable woman loves me? "And, I know it's soon, and I wouldn't blame you for thinking I'm a total nut job. I wouldn't even blame you if you wanted to run in the opposite direction..." As if I'm _ever_ going to do that! "But, I do. And, I needed you to know... I love you."

I can't believe it.

 _Amelia_  
Arizona hasn't said anything for what feels like minutes. In reality, only a few seconds has passed. Her mouth hangs open slightly and she blinks at me in disbelief. Oh, God. I've freaked her out. I've totally freaked her out. I guess it's too late to take it back now? Or, add a 'just kidding!'?

"You love me?" She whispers, tears filling her eyes. I can't tell what kind of tears they are. Is she happy? Distraught? Nervous? Overwhelmed? Who knows?!

"I do," I confirm, honestly. I've never felt more vulnerable. My stomach twists as I start to think about the possibility of rejection. My tight chest is making it hard to breathe. Please say something, Arizona. Before I know it, her soft lips cover mine, giving me the most incredible kiss. Eventually, she pulls back and leans her forehead against mine before lifting her head to look deeply into my eyes.

"I love you, too."


	29. Part 29

_Arizona_  
Sofia and I are having a lazy Sunday morning, sitting on opposite ends of the couch, each reading a book with a blanket draped over us. I love these moments of quiet contentedness with her.

"Mom?" Sofia's inquisitive voice breaks the silence.

"Yes, honey?" I reply, bringing my head out of my book and smiling at my daughter.

"Is Amelia your girlfriend?" She asks, curiously.

"Uh... yes, she is," I say, taken aback. There's no point in lying to her, she's going to find out eventually, anyway. "Who told you that?"

"Mama," she says, quietly. Of course Callie told her. She's acting like a child herself these days. Sofia's features drop as she ducks her head down.

"Hey, that looks like a sad face," I say, scooting next to her and taking a little hand in mine. "You love Amelia!"

"I know," she says, tears filling her eyes.

"Then this is good news, right?" I try. Sofia's bottom lip starts to wobble and she throws herself into my arms as she starts to sob. "Oh... hey, hey. Shhhh," I say, holding her tightly and running a hand through her hair. Why has this made her so sad?

"I don't want to move again," she mumbles into my shirt.

"What?" I ask, my brow furrowing. I keep my daughter in our embrace but lean back a little so I can see her face.

"When Penny got a new job, Mama made us move to New York," she explains. "Then, they just argued all the time," she reveals. "I don't want to move and I don't want you to argue with Amelia," she says with sad, wide eyes. "And, I...I d-don't want Amelia to-to leave me." Her last sentence brings new cries of sorrow and shatters my heart into a million pieces.

"Hey, look at me," I say gently, using my fingers to lift her chin. "Have you ever seen Amelia and I argue?" I ask. She shakes her head and wipes away some tears. "That's because we make each other really happy," I say with a genuine smile. "Now, I'm not saying we'll never argue... All grown ups argue," I warn her. I don't want her to worry if she ever witnesses a quarrel between us. "But, when we do argue, we'll always try and remember how happy we make each other when we're not mad. And, if it ever gets to a point where we don't want to be each other's girlfriends anymore... that doesn't mean she's not going to see you," I reassure her. I know it's true. In the past six months of us dating, Amelia has grown so attached to Sofia, treating her no different to the way she treats Zola. "I love Amelia, and she loves me... but, she especially loves you, Little Goose."

"She does?" She asks, with a hopeful gleam in her eye.

"She really does," I confirm with a smile. "So, you don't have to worry, okay?" I say, pulling her back into a hug. I hear her release a deep sigh and the tears finally stop. She keeps her arms wrapped around my neck and rests her head on my collar bone. I kiss her forehead and stay quiet as she gathers her emotions.

"Mom?" She says, suddenly.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I miss Penny," she confesses.

The statement stirs all kinds of conflicting feelings in the pit of my stomach. To me, Penny has been terrible. She fought to take my daughter away from me and, years later, supported the man who attacked me. But, despite everything, she's been wonderful to Sofia. She cared for her and accepted her immediately. She knew about all of her favourite things and comforted her when she was upset. For that, I can't hate her.

"I know, honey," I reply, quietly.

...

 _Amelia_  
When I walk into Arizona's house, I'm not greeted by my girlfriend, but the little person who embodies all her characteristics. She launches herself at me, wrapping her scrawny, little arms around my waist and squeezing me tightly.

"Hey, Sof," I say, taken by surprise. "Did you miss me?" I ask, confused by the sudden display of affection.

"Can we go play in the backyard?" She asks, ignoring my question.

"Of course, sweetie," I say with a smile. "You get your coat on while I say 'hi' to your mom."

As Sofia rushes off, I walk through to the kitchen in search of Arizona. Sure enough, there she is, facing the counters and making coffee for us. I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, kissing her cheek from behind.

"Hi, beautiful," I whisper, before placing another kiss on her shoulder.

"Mmm, hi," she leans back into me, before turning in my arms and pressing her lips against mine. "I missed you," she says, pulling me into an embrace.

"I saw you yesterday morning," I laugh, pulling back but keeping her securely in my arms.

"I know, but I hate sleeping without you," she admits, her hands settling on my biceps.

"Me, too," I whisper, leaning my forehead against hers.

"Amelia, can we go now?" Sofia's voice catches me by surprise and I jump away from her mother, hoping she hasn't noticed the romantic exchange. "Mom, can you come, too?"

"Okay, sweetie. You go outside, and we'll be there in two minutes, okay?" Arizona says, quickly. Sofia hurries out the door and rushes to her trampoline. I watch her out of the kitchen window for a few seconds, smiling widely at her crazy jumping.

"Is... she okay?" I ask, smirking at the odd behaviour. "She's been after my attention since I stepped foot through the door."

"Callie told her about us," she explains. Oh... Oh, shit.

"She did?" I ask, my brow furrowing. "How do you feel about that?"

"A little annoyed," she sighs out with a shrug of her shoulders. "Obviously, I wanted to be the one to tell her, but what's done is done."

"How did she take it?" I ask, nervously.

"She was scared," Arizona sighs out.

"Scared?"

"She doesn't want you to leave her," she says, looking at me with worry etched across her face.

"What?" I frown in confusion.

"The way Penny left..." Oh. I guess that makes sense. Poor Sofia.

"God... I-I wouldn't," I say, honestly. The thought alone breaks my heart. "Even... even if something happened with us... I wouldn't... I couldn't..."

"I know... I know," she replies softly, cupping my cheek.

"Not that I'm planning on going anywhere!" I say, pulling her body back into mine.

"I know that, too," she smiles at me.

"Can I take her to school tomorrow?" I ask with quiet desperation. "Spend a little one on one time with her?"

"Yeah, of course you can!" She says. Then she looks at me quizzically for a few moments. "Amelia?" She whispers.

"Mmm?" I reply, caught up in her magical eyes.

"Thank you..." Why is she thanking me? "For being amazing with her," she elaborates, as though she's read my mind. "And, with me," she half-jokes.

"Eh... neither of you are that much trouble... most of the time," I scrunch my nose up and I'm rewarded with the sight of those gorgeous dimples and sparkling eyes. I simply must kiss her every time she looks like this. I take her face in my hands and plant one on her, before leaning out of the embrace and taking both of her hands, dragging her forwards. "Come on... Let's get out there before she comes back in and drags us out."

...

Never will I ever grow tired of waking up next to a naked Arizona Robbins. We've shifted out of each other's arms in the night and she has her back turned to me, sheets clinging to her chest then dropping to cover her ass. It's the kind of back you can't help but run your lips along. And, that's exactly what I do... leaving a trail of kisses past her every perfect freckle and beauty mark. As I kiss her neck, she begins to stir, gentle whimpers escaping her throat. My hand snakes under the sheet and starts to massage her breast. She inhales sharply, as her nipple hardens under my touch.

"Good morning," I whisper in her ear.

"Good morning," she responds, huskily. She turns on her back to look at me, eyes full of desire. I lean in and kiss her passionately. Without breaking the kiss, I get rid of the sheets, and climb on top of her.

"MOOOOM," Sofia's shout from down the hallway interrupts my morning plans.

"Fuck... fuck!" Arizona scrambles for the sheets, holding them up to her chest and sits bolt upright, trying calm her breathing. "Yes, honey?"

"Can we have pancakes?" She asks, innocently. Arizona gives me a look as if to say, 'Is this kid for real?', making me burst into laughter.

"Yep... we can have pancakes," she shouts back, trying to disguise the agitation in her voice. "Just... just go get dressed for school and I'll be down in a minute."

"Thanks, mom!" She replies, blissfully unaware. With a sigh, the beautiful blonde flops back onto the pillows and looks at me apologetically.

"Raincheck?" She asks, hopefully.

"Hmm... You owe me, Robbins," I joke, kissing her quickly, before we both start searching for clothes.

...

"Good morning, Little Miss," I say, cheerily as I enter the kitchen. Sofia smiles at me with her cheeks full of chocolate chip pancakes. "Did you save me any?" I ask. She shakes her head and giggles cheekily. She is the cutest kid.

"Relax, yours are here," Arizona says, rolling her eyes dramatically at me before sending a wink my way.

"Thanks," I shoot my best smile Arizona's way before tucking into the best pancakes in town. "Wanna come to school with me today, kiddo?"

"Yes!" The little person shouts enthusiastically. "Can we listen to your dancing tunes on the way?"

"'Dancing tunes'?" Arizona smirks at me.

" _Secret_ dancing tunes, Sofia!" I say through a fake grimace. Sofia laughs and I turn to Arizona to explain. "There for her, not me."

"Liar," Arizona shoots me down quickly, same smirk lingering on her face.

"Hey, Amelia Shepherd does not dance!" I insist.

"Yes, you do!" Sofia rats me out. "You dance all the time in the car!"

"This I have to see-"

"Oh, look at the time," I interrupt Arizona, hastily. "We're gonna be late, Sof. Go and get your school bag, quickly!"

Sofia jumps down from the table and exchanges goodbye kisses and cuddles with her mom before rushing to get her school supplies. Then, Arizona turns to me with a smug grin.

"So, you going to show me those dance moves later, or...?"

"If you're lucky," I reply, kissing her quickly and hoping the subject doesn't come up again!

...

Sofia and I have been busting out some serious moves to Beyoncé and Lady Gaga on the drive over to her school. At the first lull in music, I start the 'serious conversation' part of our journey.

"Hey, so... I heard you got some pretty big news a few days ago..." I say, easing into the topic.

"The news about you and mom?" She confirms.

"Yeah... How you feeling about that?" I ask, gently.

"Well, I was really sad... and a bit worried..." She says, honestly. "But, then I spoke to mom about it and now I'm really happy," she finishes with a sweet smile that melts my heart.

"What made you so worried, Sof?" I ask, cautiously.

"I just don't want you to leave," she says, frankly. "Mom is really happy when you're with us. And, I'm really happy, too."

"Well, I have absolutely zero plans of leaving you or your mother, okay?" I say, holding her little hand. "You're both pretty special humans, you know?" She grasps my hand tightly in both of hers and looks to me with wide eyes.

"I love you, Amelia," she says with a soft smile.

My eyes immediately fill with tears. For the past five years, I've watched this little girl grow from a tiny three year old into a bright and enthusiastic second grader, but never did I think I could have this kind of connection with a child that wasn't my own. I really wasn't lying when I said her and her mother were special humans.

"I love you, too, little one."


	30. Part 30

_Callie_  
I'm about to head out of the door for work when there's a rapid, angry knocking at my door. I open it to reveal my frantic, but immaculately dressed, ex-wife. She looks like she's about to explode.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She says, brushing past me and into my hallway.

"Excuse me?" I say with raised eyebrows, shutting the door behind her. "Would you like to explain why you're barging your way into my house?"

"You told Sofia," she shouts. "About me and Amelia."

"Oh... that," I say, quietly.

"Yeah, 'that'," she says, angrily. "What the hell, Callie? It's not your place to decide when she knows this stuff."

"She's a bright kid, she was going to figure it out sooner or later," I reason with a shrug.

"That's not the point," she says, frowning at me. "This should have been my decision; yet another one you have taken away from me!" She says throwing her arms up in the air. Okay, she's frustrated. She's pissed.

"She was asking questions, Arizona! What was I supposed to do? Lie?" I shout back. She takes a few steps towards me, showing me that she won't be intimidated.

"My little girl was sobbing in my arms last night because she didn't understand the situation properly," she says sadly, a look of devastation crossing her face. My own features drop as I'm informed of the upset I've caused Sofia. I didn't mean for it to go like this.

"Is she okay?" I ask, softly.

"She's fine... now!" She spits the words back at me. I can feel the anger starting to build back up. "You want to know why she was so upset?" She asks, rhetorically. "She was upset because she _adores_ Amelia," she begins. "And, she doesn't want Amelia to leave her the way that Penny did."

Ouch! That stings. Penny leaving was hard for both of us... but, I had no idea my daughter was still struggling with it.

"I... I explained that to her..." I stammer out. "I thought she understood what happened."

"Yeah, well, clearly, she didn't!" Arizona says, her tone still mad. She looks at me as tears start to sting my eyes. Her frown disappears and she sighs out. "Look, I didn't mean for that to come off so harsh," she says, much more gently. "I'm just... I'm so mad, Callie," she says in an irked whisper.

"I'm sorry," I say, honestly.

"You say that... You say you're sorry, but the same kind of thing happens over and over again," she shakes her head, sadly. Her eyes drop to the floor and I feel my heart sink into my stomach. This is it. She's letting go of any last scraps of friendship we have left. "Callie, my business is _my_ business. I will talk to Sofia about this kind of stuff when I'm ready." She says, calmly but firmly. "I am _sick_ of you making decisions for me... still!" I am left speechless. She's right. I have no defence. "No more, Callie... No more!" She resolves and she walks past me and out of the house. As she slams the door, I put my head in my hands and let go of the sobs I've been holding back.

Why did I tell Sofia? Was it truly just because she was asking questions? Did I just want to be honest with her? A part of me says 'yes', but there's also this burning jealousy that runs through me every time I hear Amelia Shepherd's name. How did I want my daughter to react? I didn't want her to be upset, obviously, but a part of me (a dark and manipulative part) wanted her to protest the relationship... To refuse to settle for anything less than her mommies being together and us becoming a family again. Now I know that it's completely unattainable. And, the love that I carry for Arizona, the love that'll I'll _always_ carry for her, is going to destroy us both.

...

 _Arizona_  
When I finally get to the hospital, I find my girlfriend in the locker room, sliding her arms into her lab coat. She looks at me with a smile so flirtatious I could fall to my knees. But, I don't. I play it cool.

"Hey, was Sofia okay going into school?" I ask as I start to get into my scrubs.

"Yeah, she was great," she replies. "She, um... she told me she loved me on the way there," she says, with an adoring smile. "And, I could feel myself getting all emotional about it."

"Amelia Shepherd, you're going soft," I tease, pulling my scrub pants up. "You _know_ she loves you."

"True, but she's never said it before," she says, happily. I beam back at my girlfriend, who's completely making my heart melt right now. Focus, Arizona. You have work to do. Change the subject.

"Well, it sounds like your morning was nicer than mine."

"How did it go?" She asks, sensitively.

"I told her my business was my own, and she needs to stop making decisions for me," I say as I finally get my own lab coat on.

"How did she take it?"

"She seemed... cooperative," I decide. "I felt kind of sorry for her after I shouted, but she just... completely drains me." I finish with a sigh.

"Come here," she says, her arms surrounding me. "You're too sweet for your own good, you know that?"

"I can be pretty badass too, though, right?" I joke, resting my chin on her shoulder.

"Oh yeah, no doubt about that," she says with a smirk. The embrace lingers and I feel the shift in atmosphere. Amelia's nervous about something. "Arizona... Are you worried?" Amelia asks, timidly.

"Hmm?" I respond, absent-mindedly.

"That Sofia knows about us," she confirms, pulling back to look at me. "Did you... want to wait longer?"

"No, I'm actually really relieved she knows," I say, honestly. "I just wish I could have been the one to tell her, you know?"

"So, you're not..." she trails off. It's rare to see her this unsure of herself. "You're not having second thoughts about us, are you?"

"What?" I respond, my eyebrows shooting to my hairline. "No! God, no! Of course not!"

"Good," she says, letting go of a breath she'd been holding and giving me a relieved smile.

"Don't ever think that, okay?" I say, firmly. I step back into her arms and leave a memorable kiss on her lips, before tucking a few strands of hair behind her ears. "I love you," I say, calmly.

"I love you, too," she replies, much more relaxed now.

And, after another quick kiss, I set off on my way to my first consult.

...

Something weird is happening is happening around me. Many people are gathered around Alex whilst he takes a phone call behind the reception desk. This seems more serious than your average day on the paediatric floor.

"The hospital is on lockdown," Karev shouts as he hangs up the phone. "We're sealing the floor. No one leaves, no one enters."

"What's going on?" I ask, quickly.

"Orders from downstairs," he explains, handing his chart to our receptionist, Sarah, and heading to check one of the kids.

"Alex..." I say quietly, pulling my friend to one side. "Do you remember the last time the hospital was this tight on security?" For a split-second, his eyes turn dark as he realises what I'm saying.

"Gary Clark..." He trails off, his eyes turning dark at the memory of the mass shooting that took place within these walls. Subconsciously, he moves his hand to his lower chest, covering the area he was shot.

"Yeah..." My eyes fill with tears and I grab Alex's arm as I remember the little patient I was trying to protect. Her name was Ruby. She has a burst appendix. He was only a few feet away from us, the gun dangling from his hand. I used my body as a shield, bracing myself for a bullet in the back. I don't know how it happened, but Callie managed to get him to leave, all three of us left unharmed.

"We can't jump to conclusions," he decides, returning to regular bad ass Karev.

I want him to be right. I want to just tell myself that I'm being completely paranoid. But, my gut tells me different. Something's happening. Something bad.


End file.
